Police brutality is the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful police purpose. Although no reliable measure of its incidence exists—let alone one charting change chronologically—its history is undeniably long. The shifting nature and definition of police brutality, however, reflect larger political, demographic, and economic changes. Since the 1970s, Hispanics have come forward in greater numbers and have documented abuses by police, abuses that include unreasonable seizures, physical brutality, and incarceration without cause. Ammunition against police abuse is growing, but the fight on this issue is destined to be a long one. An area of grave concern at the turn of the twenty-first century was the practice of
Police brutality is rising heavily in the United States. Many cases of police brutality are being reported regularly by the media. There have been victims either physically injured, molested, permanently disabled, killed in the process or even die in the care of officers. Ethnic minority groups are major victims of most cases of reported police brutalities in America. There have been more injustice than justice in these cases and if there’s no serious legal consequences against police’s that engage in racial profiling and brutalities against their victims then it may continue to and eventually they will lose the public’s trust and respect for our officers. And in worst cases may lead to the breakdown of law and order as well as the destruction of lives, properties and communities.
Police Brutality is a current problem that exist within the United States that needs to be resolved immediately. The old childhood game “cops and robbers” is no longer just a playful game. Children no longer get excited about being either the cop or the robber in this innocent game. Now children fear playing this harmless game because police are mistakenly accusing children’s play guns to be real. This results in police officers killing innocent and unarmed children over false assumptions. Police are trained to shoot to kill, not disable. This is why so many innocent minorities are dying yearly. Police brutality needs to be put to a stop so police remember whom their paid to serve and protect – not themselves, but our communities. This
Just how much force is appropriate under various circumstances can be debatable. When an officer uses excessive force, he or she violates the law. Most brutality is directed against minority groups or otherwise powerless populations. Officers who engage in brutality rationalize their use of extralegal force, they claim they are punishing those groups that threaten to disrupt the social order. The importance of understanding racism in the context of police brutality cannot be underestimated. Many police officials automatically regard racial minority group members as potentially dangerous regardless of their particular activities, gestures, or attire. This perception of racial minority citizens as “trouble” sometimes translates into racially discriminatory police behavior. Most police officers expect citizens to always surrender to police authority. When citizens challenge it instead, some officers view such behavior as the unofficial crime of disobeying a police officer and use physical force to gain compliance. So what can be done to help prevent police brutality around our
“Innocent child killed” is the headline most Americans seem to see now a days in the news involving police officers. Unfortunately many people are seeing all officers in a bad light because of actions that might be made from one ill-mannered officer. Police brutality is a major issue effecting not only the police but the people too. “Police brutality is the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians” (Danilina). People of all genders, ethnicities and ages are beginning to fear the police rather than trust them because of this issue. There is no true solution to end police brutality however, there are three things that can be done to help reduce it. The installation of on body and on board cameras for all
According to The Global Research News, in the last decade alone the number of people murdered by police has reached 5,000. This humanitarian crisis in the United States has become an alarming reality. Police officers have the capability to arrest, confiscate property, and use deadly force. Yet, many have abused their powers. Police brutality is on the rise whether society believes it or not because of the advancement in technology, low education and experience, racial profiling, and people’s refusal to obey.
Police officers must be trained to shoot with precision; correspondingly, they must not solely be trained to shoot to kill, but also to shoot to simply harm. Once they are taught both ways, they must learn to assess their situation to conclude whether it requires the former or the latter. This is highly important for the reason that it can spare a life, and it easier to prosecute officers who failed to use proper protocol for shooting. Furthermore, this training helps to prevent discrimination against minority groups. Many officers target male minorities; however, when officers do sensitivity training and assess their situation, the officer can keep his fear at bay and civilians will be treated
When hearing the phrase “police brutality,” many people imagine batons cracking skulls, tasers electrocuting bodies and bullets penetrating innocent teens. While police officers have been known to use violence, police brutality does not occur as often as many believe. In many situations, officers have to act on impulse and curiosity, despite the backlash the media may create.
In today’s society, the topic of police brutality has been extremely controversial among the citizens of this nation. We have seen horrible cases where police have shot and killed young members of the community like Tamir Rice, all the way to incidents of mistaken identity such as the case when former tennis player, James Blake was tackled and slammed on the street due to the police mistaking him as the suspect to an investigation. According to The Eighth Edition of “Criminal Justice in America”, written by Cole, Smith, and Dejong, Police brutality is defined as “applications of force against individuals by police officers that violate either departmental policies or constitutional rights by exceeding the level of force permissible and necessary
Police brutality is a very real problem that many Americans face today. The police carry an enormous burden each day. Police work is very stressful and involves many violent and dangerous situations. In many confrontations the police are put in a position in which they may have to use force to control the situation. There are different levels of force and the situation dictates the level use most of the time. The police have very strict rules about police use force and the manner in which they use it. In this paper I will try to explain the many different reason the police cross the line, and the many different people that this type of behavior effects. There are thousands of reports each year of assaults and ill treatment against officers who use excessive force and violate the human rights of their victims. In some cases the police have injured and even killed people through the use of excessive force and brutal treatment. The use of excessive force is a criminal act and I will try and explore the many different factors involved in these situations.
Background and Audience Relevance: According to the Human Rights Watch 2012 report on Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States; police brutality has become one the most serious human rights violation. As citizens of the United States it is our duty to make sure that those with authority don 't take advantage of their power.
Chaney and Robertson, (2013) stated that “The Department of Justice office of Civil Rights has investigated more than a dozen police departments in major cities across the country on allegations of racial discrimination or police brutality”. Police brutality is defined as the use of excessive physical force or verbal assault and psychological intimidation. White police officers who grew up in the south and were raised to see African Americans in a negative way have a lower opinion of them. However, not all white police officers are from the south, some say that police officers are just abusing their power. When we look at what is going on around the country, it appears racism plays a part in police brutality. Even during this new digital age, there are video cameras in police cars facing the front of the vehicle, but that still does not hinder police using excessive
Police are rarely held accountable for their wrong doing actions. As I mentioned above only 27 of 80 officers have been convicted, with only one convicted of murder for police brutality. Police are seen as a form of power and abuse that privilege. Officer’s do what they want knowing that they will not be held accountable. Police Officer’s beat people, shoot people and harm people (abuse of power) and blame it on the civilian they are harming. Most of the time the police officer’s will be believed over the civilian. When police officer’s abuse their power this leads to lack of trust between police officers and civilians. This also leads to lack of trust between police officers and communities. This divides us and makes us afraid of one another. Stress in police officer’s also causes police brutality. Stress can come from the civilians and the pressure of the job making officer’s take out all of their anger and aggression on civilians. Police brutality causes people and communities to be vulnerable. People become vulnerable to police officers because they are powerless. The officers take power over us, make us helpless, defenseless and weak at the time of a police brutality attack. In order to stop police brutality, the state and local governments must come together to reevaluate the officer’s code of conduct, enforce new rules and regulations for the officers and hold officers accountable for their actions of wrong doing. According to, Police Brutality is Getting Worse and Shows No Signs of Slowing Down, the only way to stop police brutality is to have officer’s wear body cameras, a complete overhaul on how law enforcement handles mentally ill men, women, and children and truly independent, powerful review boards for all police misconduct. According to others, some of the changes should consist of more community police, more foot patrols and engagement with residents. Police brutality will
Police misconduct is as rampant as ever in America, and it has become a fixture of the news cycle. Police brutality is the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful police purpose. The media is inevitably drawn toward tales of conflict, hence why there are so many crime and police stories on the news. Despite the increasing frequency of misbehaving cops, many Americans still maintain a high respect for the man in uniform. Still, police misconduct is a systemic problem, not just an anecdotal one. Here are some reasons why it is a problem. First, many departments do not provide adequate training in nonviolent solutions. With this, police are unfamiliar with what to
Police brutality is one of the most serious human rights violations in the United States and it occurs everywhere. The reason why I chose this topic is because police brutality happens all the time in the United States and still remains unrecognized by many. Additionally, the public should be knowledgeable about this topic because of how serious this crime can be and the serious outcomes that police brutality can have on other police officers and the public. The job of police officers is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crimes. They are involved in very dangerous and stressful occupations that can involve violent situations that must be stopped and controlled by any means. In many confrontations with people, police may find it necessary to use excessive force to take control of a certain situation. Sometimes this makes an officer fight with a suspect who resists being arrested. Not all cops in communities are great cops. At least once a year, the news covers a story about a person being beat by an officer. The article “Minority Threat and Police Brutality: Determinants of Civil Rights Criminal Complaints in U.S. Municipalities” by Malcolm D. Holmes from the University of Wyoming, uses the conflict theory to explain why officers go after minorities sometimes causing police brutality. It explains the police’s tension with African American and Latino males. Those minorities are the ones that retaliate more against police officers which causes the officer to use violent force to defend themselves.