Police Brutality has always been an occurring action throughout history. There has been occurring events from the beginning with the Selma to Montgomery March in 1965 as to now. To elaborate on the subject of police brutality is the act of using excessive physical force upon a citizen when it is not needed. This act occurs both in the United States and multiple countries and unfortunately many of these cases go unreported. This has been a major problem that has been occurring throughout history.
Many people are aware of police brutality but are unaware of what it means and the history behind it. Police brutality is the act of using excessive amount of force to a citizen when it is not needed. This does not necessarily mean with using body force
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It is one of several forms of police misconduct which include: false arrest, intimidation, racial profiling, political repression, surveillance abuse, sexual abuse, and police corruption (What’s Considered Police Brutality?).”
In other words, police brutality does not necessarily mean being physical but there are many other forms that they can abuse their power. There are thousands of cases of police using unnecessary force against citizens and due to this being, it has led to many actions. Such as riots, protests and many more. As crowds throughout history have always protested for their voice to be heard as in the Salem to Montgomery March , police have always been around to maintain the crowd and to make sure no violence occurs. On the contrary, this is not always the case. On the 25th of March, 1965, there was a nonviolent march led by leader Martin Luther King Jr, who protested due to end the act that prevented African Americans to vote. To elaborate more on this event is it
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There has been many cases in which officers have been involved in high profile cases that have involved deaths of citizens. Published on January 21 through January 27 of 2016 in the New York Amsterdam News published that “a law enforcement officer was involved in two high profile brutality cases (Cops Involved in Police Brutality Cases Faces Consequences)”. As well as ‘NYPD Sergeant was involved in the death of Eric Gerber(Cops Involved in Police Brutality Cases Faces Consequences)”. These being one of the many that have been reported from many of the thousands that do not. An example of an officer using excessive physical force is when in the same News Article reported that “Sgt. Kizzy was stripped from her badge…in which an officer had placed him in an apparent choke hold(Cops Involved in Police Brutality Cases Faces Consequences)”. Even from now, there has been more reports of this issue. The death of Rodney King was a day that has caused change in the police work enforcement. King's death affected the community and caused chaos throughout the nation. His death was caught on camera being beaten by officers of the Los Angeles police department due to being pulled over after a high speed chase on the 31st of March 1991. Due to this it is said that he “became a symbol of racial tension in America(Rodney King)”. Due to this tragic death, it had impacted
Early in the 17th century was when the first modern day policing was expected to have begun. Ever since the 18th century begun, incidences of police using excess force by abusing their power have been quite common. As time progressed, these wrongful actions by police have been entitled as police brutality. Police brutality is defined as" the use of excessive force used by police dealing with public... excessive force can be either physical, verbal, and/or psychological". According to this definition, whether it be arresting someone with too much force or even uttering certain statements, can all be classified as police brutality. No individual should be victimized by police officers who use excess force that in no way deters crimes. It does nothing but bring a dire unjust society in which innocent people can feel afraid; and give those officers who are correctly doing their duties a bad reputation. Due to the dispensable, unscrupulous nature of police brutality; several measures including disciplining police officers, stricter laws(and stringent penalties), integration, as well as educating the general public about their rights, must be applied in order to extirpate the misconduct citizens should not have to face.
Police brutality is when a police officer causes serious bodily harm to a civilian. Police brutality is shown by the increasing amounts of Taser deaths each year. A chart created by the Seattle Post Intelligencer shows how during the year two-thousand only one Taser death occurred, but in two-thousand-four that number climbed to a staggering thirty-nine. In Baltimore, Maryland Freddie Grey was found dead while under police supervision. The night of Freddie Grey’s funeral Baltimore erupted in protests and riots. The chaos went on for days, the National Guard eventually came in to restore order and peace to the city. Media in recent months has increased focus on racial police brutality. Incidents of young teens dying have created uproars everywhere, media abuses this continues to fuel the fire and spark more
When law enforcement officers use excessive force when making an arrest or dealing with the public, this is known as police brutality. As one of the biggest police departments in America, the New York Police Department often finds itself in the midst of police brutality cases. Officers are allowed to use some force to restrain a suspect, make an arrest, prevent an escape, or defend themselves. However, there is a fine line that cannot be crossed when it comes to using force. Landing on the other side of that police brutality line can potentially put an officer in trouble, and may even cost him his job.
To identify a problem it must first have a name. Police brutality is a problem that is steadily growing in both occurrences and awareness. Police brutality is the use of excessive force that can result in the death of its victims and quite possibly a violation of the victims right. In most cases, these acts
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.
Police brutality has been a significant issue for many years.. The people affected by this most of all, are people of color. They are subject to racial inequality by the police and the justice system every day. They are being killed everyday simply for existing. The excessive force used by the police specifically towards African Americans is continuous; with the justice system doing close to nothing to change that. This is one of the reasons they continue to kill and harass African Americans. According to Propublica, young black males are about twenty times more likely to be shot and killed by the police than their white peers are. Murderers are walking free, and innocent lives are being taken. Over the past couple of years, thousands of people have been killed on the hands of the police, both black and white.
Rodney King Beating and Riots. CNN documentary (Full length). (2011, March 6). YouTube. Available at:
Police brutality and racial profiling dates back to the 1700’s in the United States(Rushing). Unfortunately, such treatment by police continues today when police are expected to hold the civic duty to protect and serve. Mistreatment by police is just the start in most cases, when citizens fight back it becomes “brutal”. Police brutality by definition means “The use of any force exceeding that reasonably to accomplish a lawful police purpose.” Police brutality can occur in many different ways with the most common being physical harm. Although that is a big problem, there are other cases of Police brutality that involve acts of false arrest, verbal abuse, sexual abuse, intimidation, etc. An act that can be seen as police brutality could be a criminal running from the cops and an officer shoots a victim with a taser. Many cases of physical harm are police using excessive force to contain and arrest any individual. Since many accounts of police brutality have been directed towards minorities, these cases turn into acts of racial profiling. Racial profiling is the use of race or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting someone of having committed an offense. Let 's say for example Trayvon Martin, a simple 17 year old black male walking home from a gas station was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch member. This being one of the many
Police brutality is hypocrisy; as the police are meant to protect society from harm, not cause further damage and stress. Police should be trained properly so they do not resort to violence and abuse of power. Many cases of police brutality and not sanctioned and are undertaken by a group of police as a form of "mob mentality". Police are placed on a pedestal of authority and respect by the rest of society. To maintain this image, rules and codes of ethics within the police force should be maintained at all possible times. If police are using brutality to resolve issues, it doesn't set much of an example of dispute resolution between individuals. Over the past decade police abuse remains one of the most serious human rights violation in the United States. Police officers are trusted and expected to respect society as a whole and enforce the law. There is a time a place for aggressive force if needed, apprehending a suspect, however the environment and situation might influence the moment thus resulting in the brutal and barbaric behavior from the cop. The important thing to do is to understand the circumstances when excessive force can be used and times where the use of force has to be abstained. Police officers follow a strict guideline in how to handle encounters from escalating into something much more serious. The use of excessive force, in this case police brutality brings liabilities that cannot be taken lightly with the department and the community. Usually the high crime rates tend to revolve around low-income minority areas and officers tend to assume that minorities living in the areas are guilty. Police brutality that does exist is most likely result of emotional exhaustion.
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.
“But they didn't have to beat me this bad. I don't know what I did to be beat up." Rodney King, March 3, 1991. Police Brutality has been a long lasting problem in the United States since at least 1903 when police Captain Williams of the New York Police Department said the phrase, "There is more law at the end of a policeman's nightstick than in a decision of the Supreme Court." In the 1920's the Wichersham Commission had a number of instances of police brutality. Many of these included the use of the "third degree" (beating to obtain a confession). This is a very effective way to get a confession out of somebody. However, beating the accused could easily elicit a confession from a scared and innocent person. Also, this puts the accused person's life in danger. Police officers must make snap life and death decisions daily. Officers' work in an environment where death (theirs, their partners, and an innocent or guilty person) is one decision away. How does that constant fear effect an officer's perception? Unfortunately, many that are attracted to law enforcement are aggressive and prone towards violence as a solution. Police officers have a lot of power. With this power comes responsibility. Police brutality can be defined as the excessive or unreasonable use of force in dealing with citizens, suspects and offenders.
Police brutality is a negative thing to think about everyday about the men and wemon that are supposed to protect and serve they swore to protect and make sure all of the laws are being followed in the past, present, and future. There isn’t anything you can do to stop the bad police officers to protect yourself other then the law that you have to fight to bring justice to the court. The youngest person that has experienced police brutality and lost their life was a 12 year old and the oldest was 65, but more than 100 victims were unknown.
Police brutality may occur violating the rights and liberties of any individual at any given time. How...
Police brutality is when an officer beats a person or criminal even though they are not resisting arrest or fighting back. One of the most common forms of police brutality is racial profiling. In the United States, beat...
According to the National Police Academy, in the past year, there have been over 7,000 reports of police misconduct; fatalities have been linked to more than 400 of these cases (Gul). Police brutality is often triggered by disrespect towards the police officer. The most noticeable form of brutality is physical, where Chemical gas, batons, tasers, and guns, can be used for physical intimidation or to actually hurt people. Police brutality can also take the form of verbal abuse or psychological intimidation. It seems reasonable to understand that sometimes the police are put into situations where excessive force may be needed. But, because some officers use these extreme actions in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed and looked into by both the police and the public. For instance, a police officer who beats a nonviolent protester with a baton would probably be accused of excessive use of force, under the argument that the police officer probably could have dealt with the situation less violently.