The Pros And Cons Of Police Brutality

Stories of presumed police misconduct have been surfacing in America in the last couple of years, sparking many debates and speculations on the true causes of these situations. Many blame the officers in these encounters, forcing them to face repercussions for crimes they did not commit. Alternatively, in some situations, the officer is guilty, but public outcries in favor of the police protect them from any consequences. Regardless of the situation, there is a great bias concerning law enforcement in this country. Recently, people have begun advocating for body cameras on police officers to provide the public with accurate records of all police encounters so that no false claims could be made against the officers. Body cameras on policemen should be necessary for the safety and comfort of our citizens, as well as for our officers, for regaining the public’s trust, and for maintaining an honest law enforcement system.

With so many incidents occurring between law enforcement and civilians, it’s about time we have our officers wear body cameras. Law enforcement wants to use body cameras, many politicians are in favor for them, Civil-rights groups are advocating them, and communities that already have a strong police presence in their neighborhoods are requesting that the police get cameras now. With the uproar of law enforcement and the death of many black American’s, body cameras can be very useful. There is always that missing link when trying to put these horrible moments back together. Far too many times we end up with the suspect dead and only get one side of the story. With the use of body cameras, we can now get more insight on the events that happen (Boyd, 2015).

The perception of excessive force has been intensely debated for the last few decades. With continuous public defiance increasing, instances of police brutality are rising at an exponential rate. However, the accessibility to social media has greatly increased as well, therefore, causing us to become more aware of such situations. With that considered, the increased amount of police beatings is far less than what may be perceived. Frequently occurrences of police brutality are brought to our attention through the media. Often times, broadcasting very graphic, and sometimes unlawful situations. Several people may say that discrimination against particular ethnicities may be the main cause of this recent influx. Though, others may believe that subsequent social disparities towards specific ethnicities may cause frustration, consequently, causing law enforcement officers to use unnecessary excessive force, more frequently.

Police brutality is the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful police purpose ( Police Brutality). There has been some serious human rights violated by officers in the world today. Mainly focusing on African Americans and their perspective, there has been severe beatings, fatal chokings, and shootings and none have been justified. Most cases do not get reported or are left to be forgotten. Families all throughout the united states suffer each and every day because of the unexplainable amount of excessive police force.

La’Ronica Craven Essay As technology has been advancing in the last decade, so has the rate of videos being publicized by citizens of police brutality or any sort of wrongdoing. According to the image “Killings by Police” one can see that police brutality or killing rates have been rising between 2000 and 2015 with the justifiable homicides staying steadily low (Bier). They’re more likely to be held accountable for their actions when there’s some sort of video footage that allows for analysis. In recent years the use of police body cameras was introduced into the workforce and may change the way officers work out in the field.

Over a thousand more deaths due to police brutality have occurred since the shooting of Michael Brown (“Stats”). These events caused the public to start questioning those who enforce the law. Some of these events were caught on tape by bystanders, which were

The history of the United States has been a reflection of ferocious brutality through  1776 through 2017. Started by the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Lincoln, the civil rights for African Americans began. In the Midst of their freedom, the 13th amendment eventually abolished slavery though  the south, slavery was still mostly concentrated. The 14th amendment gave equal rights and protection, which African Americans are still oppressed to this day.  Martin Luther King and 600 more protesters were  involved in  malicious crises performed by Selma State troopers. The U.S. constitution established and gave U.S citizens their rights on August of 1789, but down the line of severe beatings taking by minorities

In recent years and in light of recent tragedies, police actions, specifically police brutality, has come into view of a large, public and rather critical eye. The power to take life rests in the final stage of the criminal justice system. However, the controversy lies where due process does not. While the use of deadly force is defined and limited by departmental policies, it remains an act guided chiefly by the judgment of individual officers in pressure situations. (Goldkamp 1976, 169). Many current studies have emphasized the racial disparities in minority deaths, primarily black Americans, killed by police through means of deadly force. The history of occurrences reveals the forlorn truth that police reforms only receive attention in wake of highly publicized episodes of police misconduct. The notorious 1992 Los Angeles riots brought the matter to mass public attention and prompted improved law enforcement policy. Significant local reforms resulted, for instance, ending the policy of lifetime terms for police chiefs. Additionally, on a broader platform, in 1994, Congress approved provisions to the Crime Control Act in effort to tackle police abuse in a more structured way.

There is a war going on with police brutality. There’s always something new whether it’s abuse, homicides, or injustice in our community. Society has a huge issue with police officers because many are not pleading guilty for the murders of African Americans. Ever since the Trayvon Martin case, black culture created a bigger feud with police. We live in a world where our “heroes” are becoming villains in our country. The injustice for these particular cases are so common that the community and help from the president of the United States is not enough. During the Mike Brown case, Barack Obama walked in the march in Ferguson with the Black Panthers for the protest. Even if you have the whole community and the president on your back the white man still wins.

As of September 1, 2015, in the United States police officers have killed 776 people and 161 of those people were unarmed at the time of their death (MintPress). There have been too many incidents where police officers have injured or killed someone that could have been prevented. Using maximum force with a suspect has become a routine in many confrontations. Officers have not been given the proper training to deal with individuals and how to handle them without using a weapon. If they were given more training on how to deal with situations resulting in using a weapon to stop an individual during certain scenarios police brutality situations would decrease, lives would be saved, and police would get their good reputation back. However, police departments would have to spend more money on re-training. Some people agree with police brutality and think that a civilian deserved their punishment, which is not right because no one deserves to be beaten or killed. Situations involving police brutality have been increasing throughout the years, which is a problem that must to be solved.

In some cases, the incidents were captured on camera and in other instances they weren’t. Body-worn cameras are the public’s popular choice to potentially be the solution to preventing officer-involved shootings. These devices can help by reducing police use-of-force, reducing citizen complaints against officers, increasing transparency and accountability, and increasing the likeliness of prosecution of guilty officers. There has been a lot of talk about implementing body-worn cameras in the media. In addition to the United States, there has been talk about their implementation in the United Kingdom as well. The College of Policing in England and Wales suggests that body-worn cameras will help to restore the public’s confidence in justice regarding police misconduct (Ariel, Farrar, & Sutherland, 2015). Despite these great promises, a lot more research needs to be done on body-worn

Every person should have equal rights and opportunities not based on their ethnicity, race, or culture. There are countrywide issues that have lead to racial injustice. In recent discussions on racial injustice, one major issue has been the many cases of police brutality and hate crimes against minorities. Many falsely accused people are being incarcerated simply based on the color of their skin or how they look. Racism has been a huge part of Americas past and will continue to be a part of our history as time progresses. It is our history itself that keeps racism in America regrettably alive. It is what has shaped our society today. The actions of unlawful police officers have been presented through media. By revealing the problems with our law enforcement this has allowed the public to see the roots of this issue. There are many factors that contribute to the issue of police brutality, they are all derived from the roots of the tree of our history. It is time that people take a stand against hate crimes such as police brutality.

Police brutality is defined as the use of excessive or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians ("What Is Police Brutality?"). Recently, there have been a surplus of incidents involving police brutality. Cases like Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Tamir Rice are examples of police brutality. All three of these victims ended up dead at the hands of police. Statistics show that, just this year alone, 1,013 Americans have been killed by cops (Cop Crisis). Social media has made it remarkably easy for cases like these to gain and raise awareness. Many hashtags and movements have begun because of the new-found awareness about police brutality. The public is finally recognizing it as a problem and movements are trying to remedy the system. Unfortunately, police brutality is not easy to fix. Some suggest we need to institute several laws, others think we need to get to the root of the problem and revamp the way police officers are trained.

The issue of police brutality is a slippery slope to contextualize. On one hand a police officer is doing his/her job. On the other hand, there has been questionable arrests made with the use of force. Civilians are recording and releasing video footage that sheds a light on tactics of police officers. The police force has tried to combat the rising scrutiny with Body Worn Cameras (BWC). These cameras were designed to offer a glimpse into the life of law enforcement. Yet, the cameras have added more scrutiny to what goes on in day to day police work. In the court of public opinion, evidence has to be out right blatant not to be prosecuted. Cameras are one step toward the right direction. The question remains, what’s next? To rely on police policy makers on determining what’s right or wrong

1. If it wasn’t for social media the truth of these cases would not be seen and once again silenced by a bias police report. (“Police brutality raises social media shock waves.”)