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 …show more content…
The one that may be are antagonistic or violent toward the police, or who are intent on hurting themselves. When dealing with these types of people and situations the police can use a reasonable amount of force to protect themselves and others. Sometimes it is very difficult for officer and the public to understand what a reasonable amount really is. It may be something simple like pushing a offender down to the ground or something more physical like twisting a suspects arm and applying the arm bar maneuver.
The practice of police using force and it escalating in to excessive force can be traced back to the early seventeenth and eighteenth century, but let start in the mid 1920s when crime was on the rise and growing dramatically in response to the demand for illegal alcohol. Many law enforcement agencies stepped up and out the box with their many uses of unlawful practices to combat the bootlegging problem that were taking over. Also during the mid to late 1960s the police were faced with a very different challenge when dealing with the African America Civil Rights Movement. The police and the communities that they were serving had to overcome numerous incidents of police brutality in it struggle for justice and racial equality. Unfortunately in the United States, race and police brutality continue to be closely linked, and sometime these encounters have sparked many race riots over the years. Many researchers believe that police are most likely to use
Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, & Conflict defines police brutality as the use of excessive or unnecessary force by police against the public. Excessive force is explained to be any behavior or force beyond what is reasonably necessary in order to control a situation. It is a common misnomer that people believe some police use excessive force more often than not. What’s more concerning is most of the time people believe that this excessive force is usually focused upon the African American men, women, and children. This misnomer is typically found to be found in city settings where the population consists of mostly African Americans. The population make up causes the common belief to seem more true than it may otherwise appear.
This topic police brutality is so important to our because Police is brutality is so big right now and we cant people have innocent people in the streets getting shot for doing what they're supposed to be doing. Why we are talking about this is because we have to make a change and stop what is going on. Police have been targeting black lives and there a holding them at gunpoint and shooting them before they even get a trail or can go to court. We as in all of us shouldn't be scared to walk outside or they shouldn't be scared to see a police. Police are here to protect us and it feels like we are at war with them right now but there are supposed to protect us.
This paper will explain to readers what’s the legal issue with police brutality and how it affects communities all over the world. First of all, police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks and threats by any law enforcement. This paper will explain to you how police brutality has been, and continues to be, a major concern in society. In every police abuse case, the first critical issue is whether or not police was doing their job well, or had a reasonable explanation that they were doing so at the time. This defense is sufficient to defeat the claim, even if the victim suffered relentless emotional distress. Citizens who have been in the situation of
After performing this research about police use of force I hope to shed some light on this issue. The use of force has been come a big problem in our country today there are many things that we can do to help the people understand the use of force. I hope that this research has help many of you understand what police can and cannot do. Also shed some light on the differences of justified use of force and police brutality. As a officer, I hope that we can all come together and help stop the violent acts towards each other.
Police brutality is the lavish physical assault or verbal assault during police procedures which can involve interrogating or apprehending a suspect. Police brutality originated from the labor worker strikes in the 1800’s through the 1900’s. The violent brutal act of these officers usually formed around the lower socioeconomic class. Since then police brutality has hit an all-time high in the 21st century. In New York alone there has been reportedly over 72 police brutality reports some reports even ended in the deaf of a citizen. There’s been claim of police officers violently choking citizens at traffics stops and beating citizen up in public. There’s been new technology such as body cameras which are used by most police but not all.
Police brutality is a serious human rights violation in the United States. Over the past years police have acted out in ways that has made citizens wonder if they’re really doing their job. People have often questioned if police officers are abusing their authority. There are three main reasons why policemen engage in some type of brutality; society, personality, and the organizations that trained them are the reasons behind officers engaging in use of excessive force.
Over the recent years, police have been one of the organizations to be associated with the largest cases of misconduct. Police brutality can be termed as the process of misuse and abuse of authority by the police. The rising cases of police brutality are causing more harm to the public, compared to the actions perpetrated by real criminals. Although police claim that it’s sometimes necessary to curb crime, the process is illegal and police officers should be charged just like any other criminal offender. It should be the responsibility of the justice system to establish effective strategies to deal with the rising illegal activities in order to restore public trust in the law
What is police brutality? This is a fundamental query that we all must answer before further dissecting this issue. It is the abuse of authority or the unjustifiable infliction of excess force by the police in the performance of their official duties. (Marilynn) The use of brutal force by the police is an activity that dates back many years. However, sustained campaigns by reformists and human right groups have led to the decline of the vice over the years. It is appalling to see the police regressing back into this old practice given the hard work that went into its eradication. More especially, the allegations of racial-motivated brutality are too derogatory to the significant leaps that have been made to achieve zero discrimination and racial prejudice. The partial application of the law by the police and brutality has reopened the wounds of slavery and the struggle for equality in the country. (Merle) Their lack of humanity and use of excessive force pokes holes on their nature of training.
The media coverage of excessive force has caused outrage among citizens across the nation. The cases in Ferguson and New York have stirred up major debates about excessive police force and the meaning of justice for all within our judicial system. Protests and riots have ensued in cities across the nation and the cases are affecting us all, whether it is protesters blocking major highways during rush hour, or citizens burning down local businesses out of anger and frustration. The issue of excessive force needs to be addressed and the main question people want answered is, what causes police to use excessive force? Research has been conducted on variables such as the race of police
The use of excessive force by police officers is a topic that continues to make headlines and a study that needs to be done. Although much research has gone into this topic there still is no consensus on why the use of excessive force occurs. Some studies suggest lack of training and/or problems with organization policy/procedures. Law enforcement officers are authorized to use force when necessary, but when the level of force is excessive, however, the actions of the police come under scrutiny. The resulting effects can include; public outrage, scandal, negative reputation for not only the officer but the law enforcement community, and criminal considerations. Although there’s is no concrete definition of excessive force, police
Although I should know by now, I cannot help but think that there has been an overwhelming amount of police brutality in recent years. Police brutality can be defined as, when a police officer uses more force than necessary. This issue has spread throughout the United States of America, and is putting the lives of our citizens in great danger. Police brutality is not only physical, but it can also be verbal attacks; and, in most cases, it is caused by false arrest and racial profiling due to police corruption. Police brutality has been and continues to be a major concern in society and it is used very loosely to any and all forms of police misconduct. Whereas, in reality, excessive force of police misconduct is what defines police brutality. The jobs of a police officer are too calmly resolve public disturbance and disputes. Police officers are supposed to protect citizens; instead they are hurting and using excessive force. It is not right and it is unjust for a police officer to hurt a citizen due to an assumption without any actual proof of criminal activity.
Predictably, most complaints of police brutality involve excessive physical force by patrol officers during the course of arrests, searches, traffic stops, the issuing of warrants, and street incidents. Common forms of ill-treatment are repeated kicks, punches, or blows with batons or other weapons--sometimes after a suspect has already been restrained
The most famous case of police brutality occurred on the night of March 3rd, 1991, when Rodney King was pulled over by LAPD officers. A video taken of the encounter shows King being savagely beaten by metal batons long after being subdued. The LAPD responded, saying the department had “inadequate supervisory and management attention”, noting that “of approximately 1,800 officers against whom an allegation of excessive force or improper tactics was made from 1986 to 1990, more than 1,400 had only one or two allegations. But 183 officers had four or more allegations. Forty-four had six or more, 16 had eight or more, and one had 16 such allegations” (West Valley College). Clearly, a vast majority of police officers abuse their power. But clearly this is not on an individual level;
Police officers are faced with a wide variety of threatening situations on the job every day, they go through an intensive training at the academy to prepare them for the safety keeping job they have. The use of force may or may not be a significant predicament but it should be viewed by the community as well as the police. Often police officers find
There have been a variety of issues concerning the policies that underlie the use of force within the field of law enforcement. Good opinions, negative opposition, and uncertain feelings about the use of force have been mixed throughout the public as well as within the criminal justice system when it comes to this policy. For years, it has been difficult in discovering the proper definition of what is considered to be the use of force or the proper use of force, especially in regards to law enforcement. There have been plenty of studies on police and the use of force and research concluded that there is no single accepted definition.