REWORD THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS

Law enforcement agencies and individual officers need to be held accountable for their actions to achieve the goals of lawfulness and legitimacy. This is essential for law enforcement to reduce crime, strengthen the quality of the community, and serve the public's needs. As law enforcement evolves, officers face new threats and challenges and meet a surge in scrutiny from the crowd. There is a significant increase in the number of gun violence in the community, which has formed the public to inquire about the professionalism of the police department. This has led to a trend of low morale among the employees, which in turn has caused budget constraints.

The information that was gathered was from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention and Safe Tennessee Program. It appears that the rate of homicides and gun violence has been increasing for the past ten years. In the year 2020, with more people home due to the pandemic, the rate of gun violence and homicides were up nationwide, and Memphis followed suit. It was another historically deadly year for the community, and 2021 has followed suit. "Gun violence is an urgent, complex, and multifaceted problem. The United States has the highest rate of gunrelated injuries among developed countries, as well as the highest rate of gun ownership." (American Psychological Association, n.d.). The city's homicide rates are record-setting, and tragically there does not seem to be an end in sight. Innocent lives, especially among young adults, are being caught in the crossfire, but the surge in violent crimes continues to increase with each passing year. Our community has come to realize that there is no immunity, the risk of being a victim of a violent crime is high, with statistics showing we are in the top ten of the most dangerous cities in the country. There has been an enhancement in gun power and the availability to acquire military-style guns, which increases the chances of criminals arming themselves with weapons of mass destruction. The Second Amendment establishes our rights to own firearms, but the relationship between guns and violence versus freedom to own firearms is tumultuous. The violence that has to stop the loss of innocent souls is this community's price for that freedom.