Police Enforcement And Excessive Force

Discretion is defined as the authority to make a decision between two or more choices (Pollock, 2010). More specifically, it is defined as “the capacity to identify and to document criminal and noncriminal events” (Boivin & Cordeau, 2011). Every police officer has a great deal of discretion concerning when to use their authority, power, persuasion, or force. Depending on how an officer sees their duty to society will determine an officer’s discretion. Discretion leads to selective enforcement practices and may result in discrimination against certain groups of people or select individuals (Young, 2011). Most police officer discretion is exercised in situations with individuals (Sherman, 1984).

Historically speaking, authorities of the law were never in a position where their professional duties and their character as a public servant of the law were demeaned in a way that there needs to be constant surveillance of them and the people whom they come into contact with. There was never a need of documenting every encounter you had with a civilian before. In this day in age, things have certainly changed, and the past has always been something society likes to change and make better even if it raises concerns. Due to all the violent police stories that has surfaced in the past decade, the idea of having police officers wear video cameras as a part of their uniform while on duty has resulted in a radically divergent account of society’s future. The law may uphold cops to wear cameras while working, but is this really the best decision? This topic is very controversial and may create issues with cops and the civilians they try and protect in the future.

Have you ever thought about what happens if a person breaks a law? What if this individual breaks a minor law and creates a larger problem? A strong topic is upon our society when it comes to law enforcement and the tough physical and verbal oppression that they have the potential to put on people when it comes to breaking the law. Police officers are supposed to be society 's saviors, guardians, and our friends. However, when things do not go quite right, and when someone breaks the law, there will always be that chance that things could escalate. These officers are supposed to deescalate situations and solve problems. That is what society relies on them at any given moment. Sometimes it takes an escalation of force to deescalate a criminal situation. This is why society sees the men and women in uniform with weapons capable of hindering life to the fullest. However, when this force is used and abused, it creates problems. The public eye becomes weary of the police in many different ways for using excessive force to deescalate a situation. Excessive force and police brutality are often caused by depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, as well as other mental disorders; due to the way they are portrayed by the media, excessive force and police brutality have a direct effect on the American society as well as fellow officers in all branches of law enforcement.

I feel that the use of dash-cams, body-cams, and cell phone video can have both a positive and a negative effect on the control of police use of force. A problem encountered when attempting to investigate most use of force complaints is the “code of silence” commonly found in police culture where it is deemed unacceptable to “rat out” a fellow officer. When an officer is wearing a body-cam or his patrol car has a dash cam, this helps to alleviate the need for one officer to turn in a fellow officer for excessive use of force. The use of body and dash cams forces an officer to be accountable for his actions, or in some cases inaction. In 2016 The Huffington Post published an article “Study Shows Less Violence, Fewer Complaints When Cops

This isn't always the case with police use of force. On January 1, 2009 Oscar Grant was shot in the back while on the and killed by a police officer. The day of the instant Grant and a few of his friends got into a fight on the train and police were called, he and his friend were detained by law enforcement. As Grant was laying on the floor he was reportedly being uncooperative in an attempt to control Grant, Police officer Johannes Mehserle pulled out his gun believing it was his taser and shot Grant in the back, which resulted in his death.

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

On May 29, 2013, a 14 year old boy was walking down the street with his puppy minding his own business. About, seconds later cops arrived and the boy made eye contact with the cops. The boy gave a weird look at the cops and the cops took him down to the ground. The cops were choking the boy and the puppy got injured from the take down. Using unnecessary force to an innocent citizen that has done nothing wrong is unacceptable.

Most people in the United States understand that there are occurrences of police brutality, although the episodes of such brutality is minute in comparison to what is perceived to be the case by the general population. Police brutality is a perception of excessive force, though depending on the situation, that very force may in fact be the use of proper force. When it comes to Americans receiving their knowledge of current event, they usually refer to the media, in which a major topic today is police brutality.

The argument about the use of less lethal weapons and police use of force has been prevalent in society for decades. Although the idea and use of less lethal weapons has been embraced and approved by more than eight thousand different law enforcement agencies across the United States, there is a minute amount of empirical analysis regarding the use of less lethal weapons by law enforcement officials. This research paper assesses and provides a thorough portrayal of the large variety of options officers have when choosing less lethal weapons over opting for lethal weapons and the use of physical police force. There are a numerous amounts of hazardous, practical and operational concerns that are fundamental when deciding to acquire or use less

The use of excessive force by police officers is a topic that continues to make headlines and a study that needs to be done. Although much research has gone into this topic there still is no consensus on why the use of excessive force occurs. Some studies suggest lack of training and/or problems with organization policy/procedures. Law enforcement officers are authorized to use force when necessary, but when the level of force is excessive, however, the actions of the police come under scrutiny. The resulting effects can include; public outrage, scandal, negative reputation for not only the officer but the law enforcement community, and criminal considerations. Although there’s is no concrete definition of excessive force, police

Police officers are given a significant amount of discretion simply due to the nature of the job. Officers are faced with many threatening situations forcing them to react quickly, yet appropriately. They have the power to infringe upon any citizen’s rights to freedom and therefore they must use this power effectively. One major concern with the amount of discretion officers have is their power to decide when to use force or when to use lethal force. Manning (1997) argues that it is generally accepted that police should be allowed to use force. He also explains that there are an uncertain amount people who agree on as to what constitutes excessive force. The line

The use of force, with regards to law enforcements use of it, is a complex topic that should be looked at in all perspectives. There is tension between the police and the community they work for, on whether this is a power that the officers should have or not. There are ambiguous laws that do not give law enforcement offices much guidelines on what is exactly permissible when it comes to force, and all the different situations it could occur. The line that the use of force leis on is often a fine one. It is teetering between excessive force and never being able to enforce the laws. The use of forces is a conversation that is worth having with all the pros and cons that it brings to the discussion board.

Use of force by Police Officers over the past few years has become a hot buttoned issue that is constantly being discussed about. Due to the increase in technology, it seems that every scenario in which an officer uses force is being filmed by either the general public or the body cameras worn by officers. The City of Chandler takes pride in training their officers on use of force and it is explained in great detail in the departments general orders.

Police use of force policies are used by all types of law enforcement officers. There is a concern for a balance of ethical decisions. There are mutual concerns for the rights and lives of civilians and the wellbeing and lives of officers. Upholding excessive stress-free standards for employed law enforcement is detrimental to police use of force mandates. Police organizations can reduce some of the scenarios that cause use of force outcomes. There is a need to find what process can identify potential issues prior to events or actions that cause criminal misconduct by law enforcement. Police training and development needs reassessment. There needs to be an administration of logic and reasoning prior to the use of any force, especially deadly force. Most of the police operations that incite these negative outcomes are avoidable with the implementation of proper training.

There have been a variety of issues concerning the policies that underlie the use of force within the field of law enforcement. Good opinions, negative opposition, and uncertain feelings about the use of force have been mixed throughout the public as well as within the criminal justice system when it comes to this policy. For years, it has been difficult in discovering the proper definition of what is considered to be the use of force or the proper use of force, especially in regards to law enforcement. There have been plenty of studies on police and the use of force and research concluded that there is no single accepted definition.