Police Brutality Thesis

-By definition the term police brutality is “applied in the context of causing physical harm, it may also involve psychological harm through the use of intimidation tactics beyond the scope of officially sanctioned police procedure.” In today’s society we have police known as riot police, who are known throughout the world to use extreme force. Statistics show almost every time the riot police are involved in crowd control, there is at least one fatality and multiple injured. This is why I believe this is one of the most important issues in the World today. Police are there to protect us but from April 2009 to June 2010 in the United States there were 5986 reports of misconduct from police officers. Police brutality has today’s citizens doubting the police department, and how they go about their arrest. Police brutality is an everyday occurrence, especially in cities where there are large communities of Blacks, Latinos and Asians.

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)

"Relations between the police and minority groups are a continuing problem in many multiracial societies. Surveys consistently document racial differences in perceptions of the police, with minorities more likely than whites to harbor negative views." (Weitzer and Tuch, Race and Perceptions of Police Misconduct, 2004)

Here in the year 2014, racism is till very obvious to everyone’s eyes. Minorities aren’t treated well in restaurants, they are given fewer choices than white people with the same background, and they also are still the last ones to be chosen on the playground or in gym class when picking teams for dodge ball. No one is born racist. It is something that is taught through cultural transmission, just like language. Slavery was abolished in 1865 under Abraham Lincoln, which was only several generations ago, but the hatred that some older white folks have for African Americans is still unreasonably alive. How might the events that have recently occurred in Ferguson, Missouri affect how racism plays such a dominant role in today’s society involving

There is an ongoing conversation on what it will take to reduce police brutality in this country. There have been many suggestions by politicians on the ways that it could possibly be reduced. One of the things that is constantly brought is the possibility of police officers nationwide wearing mounted cameras on them throughout the duration of their shifts. This technology comes with both its positive and negative benefits, but it seems to be the topic most commonly talked about. I believe that this technology goes deeper than simply ensuring police officers aren’t victimizing the public. I believe that this technology carries many more benefits along with it. Upon graduating with a degree in Criminal Justice here at IUPUI I would like to

Police brutality is a problem in our society mainly because there are police officers that are getting away with not only physically hurting innocent people, but murder as well. In the past year, there have been between 865-939 cases of people being shot and/or killed by cops (Calacal 1). Racial profiling is one of the main factors in this problem. African Americans and Latinos are the people we see being abused by police on the daily. So far this year, 215 African-Americans and 94 Latinos have been killed by police. Data shows that a black person is 3 times more likely to be killed by a police than a white person. Several officers

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

In recent times, the police have been exhibiting an increase in brutality and racial profiling towards minorities. The police are constantly resorting to violence and racially profiling the African American and the Mexican community. Cops are being driven racially to arrest and many times even murder our own people. Even though the police are always abusing their power, the media still finds a way to make the police look bad.

The duties of law enforcement involve looking after the American people. As the Los Angeles Police Department puts it, it is the police’s duty to “Protect and Serve” the community. As Americans, we should expect to be able to rely on local police to solve our problems and bring peace and stability to society. Yet, as current events have shown, these promises are not always fulfilled. Since the late 1960s, America has begun to grow from a racially segregated nation, into one of unity and equality. Today there is no doubt that immense progress has been made, however events involving our law enforcement and minorities has seemed to halt such progress. Police brutality continues to be a major issue nationwide with the

Police are supposed to enforce the law amongst people around the world, but unfortunately, some of the ways they enforce are unjust and unruly. Over the past decade, they have acted out in ways that have caused us to question whether or not they are fit for the job or if something should be changed. Police brutality is the malicious use of excessive force, often in the form of physical actions, but also common in verbal abuse and psychological intimidation by a police officer. The word “Brutality” is defined in various ways; in this sense, it is ferocious cruelty. “The term ‘Police Brutality’ has been used by the American Press from as early as 1872.” However, there have also been cases of police brutality in certain areas long before

We are witnessing social movement occurring across the nation, there are communities irritated with law enforcement officials’ tactics and treatments of minorities and non-minorities. Although there were not any reliable statistics to back this claim, but in the last decade there seems to be increased media coverage via social media and news reporting. For instance, in the city of Ferguson, St. Louis County, Missouri where Michael Brown, young African American male was the casualty of another long line of police brutality. Officer Darren Wilson a Caucasian male killed an unarmed man. The enraged community of Ferguson took to the streets, which resulted in a civil unrest and escalated to protest. Similar social issues like this are common in minority community, this is a problem that needs to be addressed and changed within every police department in the United States. Law enforcement officers are public servants, but many get involved in police misconduct. A form of police misconduct is Police corruption; this form of misconduct includes law enforcement officers breaking societal duties, which leads to abuse of power for personal or departmental gain. Police brutality is the vicious use of excessive force, usually physical, also common in forms of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer. Police corruption and brutality is nationwide, there many constant factors which make police corruption and brutality is a universal phenomenon.

The main objective of this research is to provide a better understanding of police brutality to students and scholars who are interested in the field. Moreover, this project will be able to provide the public with a better knowledge of the police department and the possibilities of solving such societal issues. Unfortunately, “the incidents of police violence that took place across the United States in 2014 and 2015 generated a national conversation about the nature of America's law enforcement” (Wang 2015, 1). Equality is the key to a better community. In today’s society, the mentality is that the lives of residents in the ghetto are not supposed to be valued. Policing and violence are only symptoms of this larger societal issue. Society needs

Police brutality and abuse of power are issues that the United States and many other countries face. There are always articles on the news with headlines about violent actions used against peaceful protesters or police shootings. Many of these actions are racially charged. These compelling problems that exist today were more obvious in the late 1900s. During this time, specifically in LA, many African-Americans were brutally beaten, killed, or arrested just for the color of their skins. People may make the argument that some of these people deserved to be thrown in jail, which is true. However, majority of the victims were innocent and even the guilty were victims of stereotyping, and should have been arrested for anything other than just walking on the street. Rapper group NWA highlights the racism behind police brutality and racial profiling in a highly controversial song “Fuck tha Police.” With their angry and violent lyrics, NWA spoke out against the corrupt Los Angeles police department with hopes that their message would be spread throughout the whole nation.

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.

Ever since the first slave was brought to the American colonies in 1619, African Americans have always been mistreated and abused. According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of police is to supervise the operation, execution, or administration of to prevent or detect and prosecute violations of rules and regulations. Thus, the first real form of police during slavery was slave catchers. Slaves were constantly beaten, lynched, whipped etc. , but you would think after slavery was abolished in 1863 and 100 plus years later things would change. The mindset that blacks are inhumane and are savages are still ingrained in society today. A study done by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement found that in the first three months of 2012, 30 black people were killed by police at traffic stops. Of the 30 people killed 12 were innocent,  8 were emotionally disturbed, and the remaining 10 did not have much information regarding their death (Savali).  The racial discrimination, violence, and history are the topics we need to focus on in order to make a change. It is not fair that police can use brute force to protect and serve the people of our country. Police are suppose to be here to protect and serve the people of our country, however, in some cases police abuse their power and force become police brutality. In today’s society, police brutality has stemmed from the history of policing and as a result racial discrimination and violence is a constant issue that needs to be addressed by