
The U.S. Constitution gives states inherent police power to protect public health and safety. Law enforcement officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world and are sworn to defend and uphold the Constitution. However, there is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public, with citizens feeling that their rights are being violated by the very people tasked with defending them. The U.S. Constitution does not require police officers to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job, and the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Law enforcement officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world | They are asked to pledge to defend and uphold the Constitution |
| Police officers take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution | They are not required to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job |
| The U.S. Constitution gives states inherent "police power" to protect public health and safety | The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property |
| There is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public | Citizens feel like their rights are being violated by the very people tasked with defending them |
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What You'll Learn
- Police officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world
- The U.S. Constitution does not require police officers to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job
- The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property
- There is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public
- Police officers are sworn guardians of the Constitution

Police officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world
However, it is unlikely that many police officers have read the Constitution recently, if at all. In fact, much of their police academy training regards the Constitution as an impediment to efficient police work. This can put officers in direct opposition to their oath, instead of focusing on their utmost responsibility.
The U.S. Constitution gives states inherent "police power" to protect public health and safety. This is a broad power, but the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property. State and local governments are constitutionally obligated to ensure public safety.
Court cases have affirmed that the U.S. Constitution does not require police officers to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job.
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The U.S. Constitution does not require police officers to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job
Officers take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States. However, it is unlikely that many officers have read the Constitution recently, if at all. In fact, much of their police academy training regards the Constitution as an impediment to efficient police work. This can lead to officers finding themselves in direct opposition to their oath, instead of focusing on their utmost responsibility.
Constitutional policing (or the lack thereof) is at the heart of the crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public. Citizens feel like their rights are being violated by the very people tasked with defending them. It is therefore vital that law enforcement officers have a deep and detailed understanding of how the Constitution informs their goal of protecting and serving the public.
The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property. State and local governments are constitutionally obligated to ensure public safety. However, the Constitution imposes limits on this power through provisions like the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.
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The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property
The US Constitution gives states inherent "police power" to protect public health and safety. However, the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person's life, liberty, or property. This means that state and local governments are constitutionally obligated to ensure public safety, but the Constitution imposes limits on this power through provisions like the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.
The Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause guarantees procedural due process, meaning that government actors must follow certain procedures before they may deprive a person of a protected life, liberty, or property interest. Procedural due process is focused on how the government makes decisions that deprive a person of life, liberty, or property. Governments cannot make arbitrary decisions and policies that apply to criminal and civil cases.
Substantive due process focuses on freedom from governmental interference with our fundamental rights. The Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause guarantees certain fundamental rights and safeguards against deleterious state action. The Court has also construed the Clause to protect substantive due process, holding that there are certain fundamental rights that the government may not infringe even if it provides procedural protections.
The Fourteenth Amendment was adopted after the Civil War to protect individual rights from interference by the states. It prohibits the states from depriving “any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”. When it was adopted, the Clause was understood to mean that the government could deprive a person of rights only according to law applied by a court.
Law enforcement officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world. They are asked to pledge to defend and uphold the Constitution, but it is unlikely that they have read the Constitution recently, if at all. There is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public, with citizens feeling like their rights are being violated by the very people tasked with defending them. It is therefore vital that law enforcement officers have a deep and detailed understanding of how the Constitution informs their goal of protecting and serving the public.
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There is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public
Law enforcement officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world. They take an oath of office to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States. However, it is unlikely that many officers have read the Constitution recently, if at all. In addition, much of their police academy training regards the Constitution as an impediment to efficient police work. This means that officers may find themselves in direct opposition to their oath.
Constitutional policing (or the lack thereof) is at the heart of this distrust. It is vital that law enforcement officers have a deep and detailed understanding of how the Constitution informs their goal of protecting and serving the public.
The U.S. Constitution gives states inherent "police power" to protect public health and safety. However, the Constitution also imposes limits on this power through provisions like the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. For example, the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property.
Court cases have affirmed that the U.S. Constitution does not require police officers to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job.
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Police officers are sworn guardians of the Constitution
Police officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world. They are sworn to defend and uphold the Constitution, but it is unlikely that many have read it recently, if at all. In fact, much of their police academy training regards the Constitution as an impediment to efficient police work.
Officers take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States. However, there is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public, with citizens feeling that their rights are being violated by the very people tasked with defending them. As sworn guardians of the Constitution, it is vital that police officers have a deep and detailed understanding of how the Constitution informs their goal of protecting and serving the public.
The U.S. Constitution gives states inherent "police power" to protect public health and safety. It is a broad power, but the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property. State and local governments are constitutionally obligated to ensure public safety. The Constitution imposes limits on this power through provisions like the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments.
The U.S. Constitution does not require police officers to assume greater risks than those inherent in the job. Court cases have affirmed that officers may take actions to ensure their safety in the contexts of investigative detentions, "routine" vehicle stops, custodial arrests, and the execution of warrants.
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Frequently asked questions
Law enforcement officers are some of the most visible constitutional protectors in the world. They take an oath of office to uphold the Constitution of the United States.
The U.S. Constitution gives states inherent "police power" to protect public health and safety. State and local governments are constitutionally obligated to ensure public safety.
Yes, the Constitution imposes limits on the powers given to law enforcement officers. The Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause limits how much a state can impact a person’s life, liberty, or property. The Constitution also states that public health regulations cannot violate a person's constitutional rights.
There is a crisis of trust between law enforcement and the public. Citizens feel like their rights are being violated by the very people tasked with defending them.

























