Circumstance Police Excessive Force

There is no question that police brutality, when it occurs, is one of the most egregious violations of public trust that a public servant can commit. Police officers, those individuals taxed with protecting the public from danger, should never be in a situation where they pose a threat to the public. Furthermore, there is no question that police brutality occurs. Moreover, generally when there are allegations of police brutality, there has been some type of underlying violent incident. In addition, while issues of brutality may seem clear-cut to a disinterested observer, it is critical to keep in mind that law enforcement officers are not presented with textbook examples of the appropriate or inappropriate use of force, but real-life scenarios involving quick decisions. There are many arrest and non-arrest scenarios where officers need to use force to protect self or others; and the degree of force required may be greater than what a disinterested observer would assume. Another recurrent issue in debates about police brutality is that racial bias appears to be a motive behind police brutality. When one considers that minorities are disproportionately likely to be arrested and convicted of crimes, one would expect to find a disproportionate number of minorities among those alleging police brutality. Therefore, while acknowledging that police brutality, when it occurs, is a serious problem, the reality is that most

The brutality of the police force has been a long worldwide problem, but especially between the years of 2012-2016. Black people are being unjustly beaten and shot in plain sight for doing nothing while being unarmed. Journal of African American Studies “Blacks are viewed as deserving of harsh treatment in the criminal justice system” (482). “Black males with more “Afrocentric” features may receive longer sentences than blacks with less Afrocentric features like lighter skin and straighter hair”(482). Nowadays it is important to know about the police force. It’s important to know our rights as citizens and be careful around cops. Not everybody is good, but not everybody is bad also. In The New York Amsterdam News 21 people were killed by Chicago police in 2008. Entire families were being attacked. They believe it’s because of their skin color and how they are different. The year of racism started off with the world seeing the police murder of Oscar Grant. “The media have pushed people away from hearing the issue of police brutality, and it has fallen off of the radar screen.”(2) “You can’t give in. They will try to make an example out of you, try to break your spirit!”(2) African Americans say do not trust the cops with anything. “They will ruin you.”(2)

With so many news stories and incidents surrounding the topic of race and the police these days, it is not surprising for people to come to the conclusion that racism may exist within the criminal justice system. We will be taking a deeper look into the problem to find out what other possible determinants may play a role in deciding how an officer makes an arrest or stop and continue to analyze what is happening in those contexts. The issues surrounding the topic of race is like the two faces of the same coin as there are usually two sides that we have to consider: reality and media portrayals. The reality side of situations is always there at the time, but it is so subtly hidden from society that nobody understands it unless they witness it firsthand and with the media spreading filtered information, it becomes even harder for us to identify the key issue; this is especially the case when dealing with the police and racial profiling. If you turn on the news and flip to a channel where it is reporting on the police and their arrests, you will most likely see more arrests pertaining to minorities than other ethnicities. In the news, we can often see a misrepresentation of ethnic minorities, usually African-Americans, being arrested when compared to others and this has caused problems around societies countless times. For this essay topic, I will be discussing the different issues surrounding race within the parameters of criminal justice and inequality; furthermore I will be

Despite the important racial progresss our society has made since Emmett Till’s death, from the civil rights era, to present increase of police brutality has still left the Black/African American community in shadows of segregation. The second most recent shooting of teenager Michael Brown has left citizens in ongoing battles with law enforcement officers of Ferguson, Missouri. New Statement (2014) reports, Missouri police similarly attempted to retain control of the narrative, claiming Brown had stolen cigars, and then paying for them, and then claiming he was a bad child and attacked the officer who shot him” (New Statement, 21). Brown autopsy reveals he was gun less and shot six times. Police brutality is not solely about Ferguson, Emmett Till, or the civil rights movement, but it is simply about the history of capitalism and police brutality in America and having many forms of it.

In most cases the police is permitted to use any form of necessary force to suppress a suspected criminal with minimal consequences if they use excessive force (“Police Use Of Force”). According to the current law all law enforcement officers should use only the amount of force necessary to weaken an incident, make an arrest, and protect themselves and others from harm (“Police Use of Force”). Officers receive guidance from their individual agencies, but no universal set of rules that governs when officers should use force and how much (“Police Use Of Force”). Police use of excessive force against the unarmed public should be illegal because it lowers the amount of unnecessary deaths, reduces riots, and would decrease racism.

A young man’s brutal death at the hands of the police is found justified in a court of law due to his “suspicious” appearance: a black hoodie and his hands in his pocket. An elderly woman is fatally shot in her home for her relation to a suspected criminal. A married man with two toddlers is choked to death after a minor traffic stop by an officer who later claimed that his unarmed victim was wielding a gun. These people all have a few commonalities: the color of their skin, their presumed guilt at first sight, and their ultimate unjustified death administered by the law force. These are not uncommon occurrences. Due to the staggeringly disproportionate rate of African-Americans killed by the police, and the underlying rampant racial profiling, police brutality towards blacks in America must be called to light.

In recent years’ police departments have been brought into the public eye based on the public belief that police brutality has become a norm within the police system in recent years. Yet this has occurred for decades in police departments, not only that but there are multiple forms of brutality to take account of in the criminal justice system specifically towards African-Americans. The criminal justice system has become accustomed to creating a system of racial control after the ending of the Jim Crow Era. Causing every level of the system to work in a way that limits the freedom of African-Americans the most common being that of police misusing

One of the most polarizing policy issues in the United States is the process of using race, ethnicity, and/or national origin by law enforcement as a chief predictor of criminal behavior. In the presence of social media and modern technological innovation, there has been increased documentation on the very problematic ways in which police officers use their position of authority against minorities. The countless cases of murder and police brutality have prompted national dialogue regarding to what extent race should be used in methods of policing. Against a troubled backdrop of incessant clashes with minorities and law enforcement, navigating the situation requires a degree of care that does not diminish the

A question has arisen concerning a certain event that occurred in American history which helped contribute to the Reconstruction Period that took place during the 1990s. Dr. Cassandra Chaney of Louisiana State University and Dr. Ray V. Robertson of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette co-wrote a moving article based on Rodney Glen King, a man who quickly became the face of police brutality after a tragic event occurred that no one would ever forget. On March 3, 1991 Rodney King was a victim of a merciless beating by four Los Angeles Police Department officers. With the helpful use of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), Chaney and Robertson take twenty of King’s most well-known quotes to reveal his true feelings

As the four officer involved in the beating of Rodney King were white, many felt the incident was racially motivated or at least demonstrated a lack of respect for other races on the part of the officers. The incident not only further marginalized the African American community, but raised concern within the white community as well. Prior to the incident 70 percent of white residents indicated they approved of the Los Angeles Police Department. Following the Rodney King incident the approval rate dropped to 41 percent (Walker, 2007). The concern went well beyond Los Angeles. This incident brought the issue of police brutality and use of excessive force to national attention and under federal scrutiny (Rushin, 2014).

Excessive or reasonable force by police? Research on law enforcement and racial conflict a research conducted by John Wihbey and Leighton Walter Kille. The main logic behind this research was a result of continuous Allegations of the U.S. police officers and law enforcement agencies using excessive force while on the job for the past two decades. The writers of the research begun by stating the most recent police brutality cases starting from Eric Garner who died as a result of a “chokehold” by an officer, A month later the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson, Tamir Rice who was shot by police in Cleveland, Ohio, Walter L. Scott was shot by a police officer during a routine traffic stop, and Freddie Gray who died while

In our nation’s history, African Americans have been treated unequally by whites. Since then, the treatment whites give to minorities has degraded. Now, white police officers have abused their power towards minorities. This is an issue that continues but we as a society can no longer ignore the fact that this is unconstitutional. African American communities have turned into the targets of racism. This paper will examine the repeated history of police brutality in America in order to explain the racism and injustice involved. America needs a policy to enforce the unjust treatment police give to African Americans.

The study on excessive force found that, even as use of force escalates from grabbing a civilian to striking them with a baton, the "overall probability of such an incident occurring decreases dramatically, but the racial difference remains roughly constant. Even when black civilians are reported compliant and no arrest made, they are 21.3 percent more likely to endure some kind of force” (Correl, 2001). In places where there is a commitment of democratic government, civilian oversight appears to arise in response to a specific crisis confidence in the police. Until such a crisis occurs, society has looked into these issues of police killing civilians and chooses to handle their cases on their own. The beginnings of police brutality that occurred

Police brutality has been a growing concern in the media over the past decade. Police brutality, being any act of force from a police officer on a citizen that exceeds the force needed to perform the job necessary, includes shooting, punching, and even killing citizens. As discovered by Daniel Bier of Newsweek, the number of citizens killed by police officers has been steadily climbing for over a decade, spiking upward in 2010 (Figure 1). In the United States, 963 people were killed by police in 2016 alone (The Washington Post). While it proves difficult to provide evidence of the suspected victim being guilty or innocent after being killed, 48 of the 963 were entirely unarmed; this means that in one year alone, nearly 50 lives were taken by police without probable cause (ibid). Of these 963 people, 24% were African-Americans (ibid), despite the fact that only 13.3% of the United States population is African-American (United States Census Bureau). These statistics demonstrate the scope of the issue of race in police brutality. The media, being ever influential in contemporary times, plays a large role in this growing issue. This begs the question: to what extent does the media shape the role of race in police brutality?

A common issue presented in today’s national media is police brutality. Police brutality is the use of unnecessary force on civilians by police. The concept of having police officers is to ensure safety and protection of citizens. Police should only use force necessary to accomplish their lawful purpose. The common occurrence of police brutality has sparked responses nationwide in the form of protests, riots, and movements to end the excessive and sometimes fatal force of police officers. The public rallies are also in response to lack of conviction or repercussions of many of the cops who demonstrate unjust police brutality. These incidents are also commonly associated with racial disparity. The headline news stories of the shooting and killing of unarmed African Americans, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and twelve year old Tamir Rice, all in the same year, prompted citizens nationwide that change in the law enforcement system is necessary. While a majority of police abide to their oaths and stand for justice, a noticeable amount have historically misused their power. If a community cannot trust police officers, it will be detrimental for society as a whole.