A police officer is a law enforcement official that protect and serve the people, and they are not supposed to abuse the power and violate the rights of the people. Police brutality and racial profile are not issues of the past that are just reemerging today. The beating of Rodney King happened twenty-four years ago on March 3, 1991. Has the police community progressed or regressed? Police brutality is the use of unnecessary or excessive force on an individual. The answer to the first question, “has the police community progressed or regressed?” is regressing. I will discuss two recent cases, Michael brown and Eric Garner. Both cases display the actions of regression within the law enforcement community. Police brutality and racial profiling …show more content…
Law enforcement officers should have to wear cameras on their uniforms that can record sound and daily interactions of the police officer, so that there can be no question as to whether or not a person has been a victim of exorbitant force or racial profiling. The cameras worn on the uniform should be subtle but salient, should not conflict with the kineticism of the officer, and the cameras’ audio and video capabilities should be pellucid and precise. Some officers may carry the badge as power which can possibly create an “authoritarian” personality or increase the personality if the officer already has that type of personality (Maguire, Duffee, 2015). Another way to avert police brutality and racial profiling is during the prescreening of potential officers. The prescreening interview of a potential officer should be exhaustive enough to wean out those who may abuse their potency to utilize force, have racist tendencies, and those who will follow the crowd and overlook malfeasance comportment. Lastly, along with ethics training police officers should be edified peacemaking criminology. Peacemaking criminology is a perspective on crime that suggests that alternative methods can be used to create peaceful solutions to crime. Peacemaking criminology can be implemented in society to reduce the amount of violence in the criminal justice field. The underlying goal of peacemaking criminology is to use a non-violent approach to solving crime. The uniqueness of peacemaking criminology and its lack of use within the administration of justice leave many within the criminal justice field skeptical of its efficacy (Moloney, 2009). Also, in the late 1980s, “Indiana University professor Hal Pepinsky” began exploring the idea of using peacemaking techniques as ways to bridge the gap of understanding between criminals and society. In 1995, he
Police brutality and office involved shootings have sparked national debate and created a strain between police officers and citizens. Recently, there have been more home videos that display acts of aggression by police officers. These police officers often use excessive forces or a condescending tone towards people of color which is why there needs to be a better way to mend police and civilian relationship. People should be able to trust the police in their communities rather than fear them.
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
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
One widely accepted idea is that body cameras for police to wear will help to observe what actually happens in traffic stops with police and serve justice to civilians and police officers. According to the article, “Should Police Wear Body Cameras?”, in May of 2015 the Obama administration started a $75 million dollar program to test how effective body cameras are, with hopes to give out 50,000 body cameras in 2018 to police officers (Majerol 6). Body cameras is a solution that is extremely considered and is already taking some effect. Moreover, research shows that body cameras can keep tense police encounters calm, help behavior of both the officer and civilian, and the footage that comes from the cameras can serve as evidence ( “Should Police Wear” 7). Research proves that body cameras can have an effect on police brutality and will help fix the issue. However, there are other techniques that can possibly help fix the issue such as training. “An officer also needs training on dealing with community members in nonthreatening ways and better communication skills” ( “Police Need Better” 1). Training will help officers work on making police encounters less tense and make sure excessive force is not a go to. Lastly, according to analysts, changing hiring practices in the law enforcement could make sure that unbiased officers that are focused on being close to all communities could help lower the amount of police brutality cases (“Police Need Better” 2). If police departments really focused on an officer’s beliefs involving the topics of race or religion, officers that are not willing to be fair to all would not be hired and in turn prevent more police brutality cases from happening. To conclude, officers wearing body cameras and police departments changing hiring practices could help stop more police brutality cases from
Historically, minorities have been victims of police brutality in the United States. Since the middle of the 19th century a dominant white social class maintained racial injustice through a police force willing to use violence against minorities. This violence expressed itself in the years immediately after the civil war through brutality in various forms. America has a lengthy an disgraceful tradition of police brutality to attain a sense of law and order in its society. Police misconduct can be described as any inappropriate behavior on the part of any law enforcement officer that is either illegal or immoral or both. Law enforcement agents are should behave to a standard that is greater than the average civilian. Police brutality comes from
Police Brutality is an enduring problem and current concern in the America and should be fixed instantly. Those of the minority community have been subjected, for many decades, to violence by those in law enforcement in the United States. We have to enforce the law function as a component that consists of prepared and educating officers. This type of violence is a direct description of police brutality. Police brutality has been a problem for many years, and it remains a major concern for those of the minority community. Police brutality must be stopped so that police do not forget who they are serving not themselves, but the public. Over the past centuries, black people have suffered from violence in many ways. Even the criminals, who are
With the current Spring Valley, South Carolina situation, this is perhaps a great time to address that police brutality does not, in any circumstance, exist. A few days ago, a video had surfaced the internet, showing a 15-year-old African American female being forcefully pulled out of a desk at school. After seeing this video, many concluded that the police officer was wrong for his actions, without listening to the facts first. As more videos arise, we begin to see the actual circumstances. In the full length videos, you are able to hear the teacher of the classroom asking the female student to leave after being disruptive in class. After refusing to leave, the teacher calls down to the office, requesting someone to come and escort the female from class. A police officer, who happens to be at the school as a resource officer at the time, enters the classroom and requests the female to leave class with him. After refusing, she is told that she will be forcefully removed if she does not comply. She once again refuses, which results in the forceful removal of the young woman.
Police brutality against black men in America is thought to be something that does not exist anymore due to the civil rights movement in 1955-1968. Unfortunately, a statistic shows a black suspect is killed by a white police officer twice a week. (McKay) “While African-Americans constitute 13.1% of the nation’s population, they make up nearly 40% of the prison’s population. Even though African-Americans use or sell drugs about the same rate as whites, they are 2.8 to 5.5 times more likely to be arrested for drugs than whites.” (Hudson) These statistics confirm that not only are black people more like to be victims of fatal police brutality, they are also more likely to be convicted for a crime as well.
In closing police brutality can and will eventually create public outcry that may end in more complainants or violence protest. It is up to the department leaders to make sure their patrolling officers are treating everybody with respect and also upholding the standards of law enforcement personnel everywhere. As noted in the Rodney King beating the physical abuse that he suffered was captured on video. Still the world could not believe that another human being would be so hatful, and yet other police officers watched and did nothing. The effects of that brutal encounter still linger today and just years ago there was the Ferguson, Missouri incident that revealed years of police brutality and corruption against the minority section
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.
What gives someone the right to put forcefully put there hands on someone without a person’s consent ? What gives someone the right to think they can take advantage of other people , because they think they’re above the law ? Or is it because they think they have the right because they have a badge ? Either way shouldn’t all people be punished the same for doing something wrong ? Or do certain people just get away with crimes because they wear a police uniform.
There are also methods of controlling police brutality through the media. First is establishing an investigation board of people who oversee complaints and cases of police abuse. All proven and legitimate complaints should be made public through television or print news, so that the community is aware of which officers have a history of brutality. This makes the community feel safer and more knowledgeable about their officers, as well as making sure no officer is able to hide the things they have done. In addition to a governmental investigation board, there should be a different civilian review board made up of people around the state who collect data from the various cities within their state so that they can monitor trends of abuse and brutality.
In the last past years, our country has observed numerous cases of police brutality. It has become a controversial topic among communities that have witnessed police brutality take place in front of their houses. Officers are faced with many threatening situations every day, forcing them to make vital decisions and to expect the vilest and hope for the best. The law enforcement officers granted the ability to take any citizens' privileges to restraint and sometimes even their lives. Besides, with that sort of authority comes responsibility. For this reason, that is one major fear with that amount of discernment granted to law-enforcement officers. Consentquey, there are times they must have, to execute use force or even the use lethal force.
The NYPD and New York City are served with civil lawsuits for police action on a daily basis. When police officers are trying to enforce laws they can only go so far. “From 1999 to 2008, the City of New York paid out nearly $400 million in damages to individuals who filed civil lawsuits against members of the NYPD” (Dunn, n.d.). According to the civil rights statute (Title 42, section 1983, of the United States Code, state and local government officials can be sued for money damages when the plaintiff’s constitutional rights are violated by authority (Rutledge, 2010). Our civil rights laws protect citizens from police abuse and misconduct. There are many reasons why the city gets sued for this such as police brutality, excessive force, unconstitutional
Police these days have a bad reputation for police brutality. In the past few years, we have seen multiple police officers being fired or disciplined for unethical situations. In certain states and neighborhoods, police are the bad guys, because of how they treat the community in which they serve. This tension started to climax in 2014, as a police officer shot an African American male named Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri that was when people started seeing police officers in a whole new different light (Buchanan, 2014). While this was happening in Ferguson, the Newark police in New Jersey were being investigated by the Department of Justice (DOJ) for unconstitutional practice. 75% of the people stopped don’t have a valid reason for being stopped. Over