Why Do Police Officers Right To Remain Silent

Police brutality is one of the most serious and divisive human rights violations in the United States and it occurs in every community. The job of a police officer is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crime. They are engaged in a dangerous and stressful occupation that can involve violent situations that must be controlled. In many of these confrontations with the public it may become necessary for the police to administer force to take control of a situation. Sometimes this force takes the form of hand to hand combat with a suspect who resists being arrested. Not all police officers in communities are good cops. At least once a year the news is covering a story about a person

“Officer Jeronimo Yanez, charged with second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Philando Castile, a 32-year-old black Minneapolis man” (Capecchi). “Brian Encinia, former Texas trooper charged with misdemeanor perjury stemming from his arrest of Sandra Bland, a black woman who was later found dead in a county jail” (Almasy). “Sgt. Kizzy Adonis, charged with failure to supervise in connection with the 2014 death of Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black Staten Island man who died after police to administered a controversial choke hold” (Eversley). These are a few examples of the mistreatment suffered by young black citizens at the hands of police officers that resulted in the death of a suspect. Throughout the nation, the mishandling of the authority given to police officers has increased and is not merely coincidentally occurring.

You are a single mom with one kid who is out drinking at a bar for the night. You get a call on the phone. Your son is in the hospital with gruesome wounds and broken bones….from the police.. USA police alone have killed over 5,000 citizens since the 9/11 incident with most of them being black males. Most recently, Freddie Gray was terribly injured by the Baltimore police who arrested him for weapon violations. Freddie gray later died in police custody from a severed spinal cord that he received from the police’s horrible treatment toward him. Riots broke out in Baltimore against Freddie’s terrible treatment. The riots cost the city of Baltimore $9,000,000 in repairs for all of the damage. Research also says that the knife that Freddie Gray

Think of how you would feel if someone you loved was unarmed but they were shot and killed by a police officer and you didn’t even know because there was no evidence. If police officers were required to wear body cameras there would be plenty of evidence. This is why more and more people are wanting body cameras all around the United States of America and in other parts of the world. Over the last few years cops killing unarmed teens are rising and it is usually white police officers killing african american teens. For example eighteen year old Michael Brown of Fergunson Missouri was shot twelve times by a white police officer named Darren Wilson. Michael Brown was unarmed and approaching the officer when Darren Wilson started firing the bullets into Michael Brown. After this incident Darren Wilson was said to be innocent in the murder of Michael Brown. Once this officer was announced innocent it started many riots in Feurgunson Missouri. The riots became so bad that the cost from all of these riots came out to be around six million dollars. Darren Wilson had to move to the outskirts of St. Louis becasue he received so many death threats from citizens of Fergunson Missouri. He was froced to move to a new town and rarely ever came outside. Know he has to live the rest of his life scared that he will get killed. So this is one of the main reasons that I believe police officers all around America need to be required to wear body cameras. It is critical that police officers wear

Furthermore, " The problem of police misconduct was not an exception or an aberration; it was systematic, an old 'family secret' in the LAPD. (Gibbs 1996). To add insult to injury, the federal government still not introduce the issue of race when it stepped in after the riots and charged the four police officers with violating King's civil rights. It is also critically pointed out that two of the officers were acquitted in federal court, and the two that were convicted, only received very minimal sentences of 30 months imprisonment and a waiver of any fines. As well, In comparing these sentences to four Black men involved in the attack on white motorist Reginald Denny, we are able to see several startling differences.

July 13, 2015 an African American named Sandra Bland was found dead in the Texas county jail. The officer profiled her because of her skin complexion. Sandra was a woman who spoke on African American rights. She felt that he was stereotyping her and she did not remain quiet. She was earlier pulled over for failure to use her turning signal while on the highway. Bland was later arrested due to not obeying the officer as he asked. An traffic offense does not involve the victim to be removed from vehicle. The officer did have his camera on, although the video wasn’t complete. He did insult her, and used profanity towards her. As a cop he should have kept it professional. Social media is racing with many videos on the topic of her death. It has been said that they story does not add up. Lots of research has been conducted.

Police brutality has disturbingly become a trend in America. Cases like Walter Scott and Eric Garner has caused Americans to question the true duties of law enforcement officers. Is it to protect and serve? During the death of Walter Scott brought about questions because Scott was routinely stopped for a missing break light. Video footage shows the two men, Scott and the police officer having a civil conversation. Footage then shows Walter Scott running from the law enforcement officer and the officer shooting him in the back. The case of Eric Garner is slightly different from Walter Scott’s, Eric Garner was choked and killed by a police officer and it was all caught on video. The police officer approached Garner after he was caught illegally selling cigarettes. The acting law enforcement officer put Eric Garner in the chokehold, Garner stated he could not breath but the officer did not loosen his grip resulting in the death of Eric Garner.

The civil rights of United States citizens are said to be the most protected freedom we have in this country. Although, there is an epidemic sweeping the nation that is violating these citizens rights. It is called police brutality. According to Webster's Dictionary, “Police brutality is the wanton use of excessive force, usually physical, but also common in forms of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer.” Cops have a bigger number of forces than the normal citizen; they have the ability to capture, seize property, and utilize dangerous force. Numerous officers have mishandled these forces, and when they do, you would think they would be let go and indicted. In the greater part of these cases, officers have just been suspended or given probation. This seems like a minor discipline for such an outlandish wrongdoing. Cops have become exempt from the rules that everyone else follows and are currently ready to mishandle their forces as they wish. I, for one, observe

Over the past year there have been many situations between police officers and civilians that we don’t exactly know what happened because it someone’s word over another. In August 2014, an unarmed black teenager, Michael Brown, was shot by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Some witnesses confirmed the police officer’s claim that he shot the teenager under self defense. While others claimed that the victim posed no threat to the officer and that the shooting was uncalled for. The result of this was that the police officer wasn’t charged with a crime. If that officer had been wearing a body camera, while he was on duty, we could see with our own eyes if Michael Brown was threatening to the officer or if the shooting was unjustified. Police officers should wear body cameras while on duty because the cameras would hold police accountable to their actions, prevent violence, and would improve the public’s perspective on police officers.

The police cannot do everything expected of them by everyone. Unequal treatment on the basis of race have been an ongoing issue for police since the 1960’s civil rights movement. It became apparent that through the course of the past 40 years, many critics, scholars, and policy makers would begin to question discretionary powers of law enforcement officers in regards to brutality. As citizens we put our trust in law enforcement officers to do the right thing by upholding and abiding by the same laws they enforce to maintain order and keep peace within our society. Public servants, especially law enforcement officers, are obligated to live up to a higher ethical and intellectual standard than those expected of the general public, which is why there is growing concern about brutality, excessive use of force, discrimination, and racial profiling by those who are sworn to serve and

America, being founded on doctrine such as The Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, shows how we as a nation hold justice and freedom forefront in our belief system. Having a police force in our country to help the citizens of the United States of America uphold these values, that have been passed down over the generations, the values that our forefathers created for us, is one of the main reasons America is the great nation that it is today. However, in recent news, the measures that our police force have been taking to ensure our civilian safety, and the safety of our values as Americans, has been put under scrutiny. Many people

Throughout the recent years many incidents have occurred between citizens and law enforcement agents that has brought light to police brutality. The media has played the biggest role by focusing mainly on negative actions that law enforcement agents take rather than the positive ones. Law enforcement agents across the country have received a bad name and continue to receive negative backlash for the many incidents that have occurred. No not every officer is perfect and yes there are bad apples, however because the media has focused on the negativity, people across our country are quick to jump to conclusion when they see or hear what is in the media. Although most incidents may seem similar in the media, in light of the fact that they involve officers shooting “innocent victims”, every incident and case is different and the media does not always show or tell both sides of the story. In this paper I will be investigating two incidents that have occurred in the past year regarding black suspects being shot and killed by white police officers. One case happened in South Carolina and the other in Illinois. After investigating and finding facts I will then compare both cases to the Supreme Court case: Tennessee v. Garner 1985, and determine what case is the most alike to it and why.

A controversial topic for decades, one issue that has made a noticeable impact in modern day society, especially in the year of 2015, is that of police brutality. Stemming from deep-rooted and institutionalized racism within law enforcement and other surrounding fields, it has sparked a firestorm of opposition, with many American citizens up in arms over the target that’s been seemingly casted on the backs of the black community. Despite the various protocols that have been implemented as a means of placing a more critical eye on law enforcement, we are still seeing more and more cases of excessive police force being committed daily without any sort of justice for these victims. The idea that an officer on duty has more legal protection than that of a normal civilian must have some merit, as a study done by Cato Institute found that “When police officers are charged, they are convicted at a lower rate than people in the general populace.” (Elinson and Palazzolo). By granting these officers more rights and not holding them to same authoritative ruling regular citizens are ordered to follow, it allows for corruption and discrimination in the forces that are expected to help us. Without reprimanding the police for violation of conduct, we will continue to see the same issues arise for many years to come.

A recently released video from a body camera worn by a Baltimore police officer shows him planting drugs seconds before “finding” them. Two other officers look on as he violates both the law and due process. (Mike) Any cop who abuses his authority should no longer be a cop, and any cop who engages in criminal activity should be prosecuted, as would be the case with any citizen. But unfortunately, bad cops do more than bring harm to themselves when caught; they also harm public trust and confidence in the many good police officers who place themselves in harm's way to protect and serve their local communities.

To “Serve and Protect” is the claim police fail to execute. On April 12, 2015, a young man named Freddie Gray, a resident of Baltimore, was a victim of a vicious attack that resulted in a coma, and finally death, following his arrest. His murderer is the six police officers that are involved in this arrest. One might ask why he fell into a coma in the first place. Gray was brutally mutilated by having his spine ripped out of his back. This occurred because police officers failed to put a seatbelt on him, as required. According to CBS news, "Following transport from Baker Street, Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon," (Arrest). American citizens’ constitutional rights are being violated because the police force is abusing their power.