Persuasive Essay On Police Brutality

Within the first five months of 2015, there have been over 385 fatal shootings by police, which amounts around two per day (“Fatal Police Shootings” 1). Over the years, the number of cases against officers involving excessive force has steadily grown. After the recent cases of Michael Brown, Freddie Grey, and James Blake, people are starting to ask how much force should be used during a confrontation. Many argue that the police are just doing their jobs, where others feel that they can still do their jobs while using less fatal methods. Although some may think that police brutality is not a real problem, the reality is the problem is growing and needs to end.

The majority of the news is filled with violent crimes, but in reality, crimes rate

The most recent headlines involve officer James Frascatore. During an ongoing investigation, a plainclothes officer, Frascatore, mistakenly blindsided James Blake, a former tennis player, while on surveillance (“Before Tackling” 1). Without further research, this case seems to be another involving extreme force while conducting an investigation; but after further research, the news began to report on his former involvement in two other cases with brutality (“Before Tackling” 1). In the first lawsuit, Frascatore was accused of beating Warren Diggs after asking Frascatore if he could get his ID from his house (“Before Tackling” 2). Frascatore was also involved in another lawsuit filed by Leroy Cine. Leroy was pulled over by Frascatore, after asking why he was pulled over there was no response. He proceeded to ask a second time; that is when Frascatore reached into his car, unlocked the door, and “tried to pull Cline out. When Cline flicked back, Frascatore allegedly punched him three times in the mouth” (“Before Tackling” 2). After two previous lawsuits, Frascatore was allowed to partake in an ongoing investigation, even though he had a past involving brutality. Some may argue that police have the right to use deadly and extreme force when they believe it is necessary to

National Latino Peace Officers Association (NLPOA), Andrew Peralta stated that “when you’re training’s all about shooting, handcuffing, the physical part - and not about the verbal part - it can create an imbalance” (“Police Training” 1). Most people tend to follow how they were trained, so by being trained forcefully, officers are more likely to follow those rules. Mr. Peralta also stated, “If they haven’t been trained in that yet (better communication skills), they will go straight to something he knows: handcuffing, defensive skills, and shooting” (“Police Training” 1). By mainly focusing on the physical portion of the job during training, when a less tense situation arises; the officer may resort to extreme force, not logical force. Samuel Walker, a criminal justice professor at the University of Nebraska - Omaha stated that changing training the smallest police behavior can have a positive effect (“Police Traning” 2). Walker explained how teaching police to stop using harsh or derogatory language when talking to the public would help ease the many tense situations that police face everyday. Many opposers say that budget stands in the way of changing training, but as Walker said, updating an old method could (and will) make a huge difference. Changing the way police are trained could help decrease the