Police Misconduct And Its Effects On The Nation 's Law Enforcement

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

Thesis Statement: While some citizens argue that police officers are doing their job, is police violence more prevalent, because of social media dramatization, lack of proper tactical training, or is it the vigilante attitude that makes the officers’ feel above the law?

Police officers have been known to allow prisoners to escape, or to support or participate in kidnapping and extortion rings. There have been cases of security force members providing weapons and information to criminal groups and even procuring grenades for prison mafias. (Venezuela Investigative Unit, 2016) Incidents like these are endangering the lives of millions and it needs to be put to a stop. They are trusted to help civilians in any way that they can, but many of them are doing more harm than anything. From January 2010 through December 2010 the National Police Misconduct Statistics and Reporting Project recorded 4,861 unique reports of police misconduct that involved 6,613 sworn law enforcement officers and 6,826 alleged victims. (Packman, 2011) Those statistics were from 2010, which was seven years ago, just imagine how much that number has grown since then. Since 2005, 77 officers have been charged with murder or manslaughter in US. (Sanchez, 2016) The worst part about all this is they

“Hands up, don’t shoot!” This quote went viral after unarmed Michael Brown, was killed by St. Louis police. A person is considered unarmed if he or she is not in possession of a weapon at the time of the shooting or was holding an object unlikely to inflict serious injury, such as a stick or a broom handle (Somashekhar). The killing of this young man went viral after video footage shows him with his hands in the air, surrendering, and the police piercing his body with twelve bullet wounds. This incident has lead to the question of, “What do we do now to protect our civilians from this brutal police conduct?” Many introduced the idea of Police Body Cameras, which is proven to allow police misconduct to be reduced. This technology has been verified to reveal instances of police misconduct, build trust between the police and the community, and to give video evidence to improve the ability to prosecute cases.

While police officers have many responsibilities, one of their primary duties is to protect and serve their community. Due to the power given to police officers and the stresses that accompany that power, police departments across time and the world have turned up some kind of police misconduct or corruption. There are thousands of instances in which the power of an officer has been exercised unethically and unlawfully.

Police misconduct and abuse have been around since the beginning of civilization. The overwhelming force that officials can use on civilians can be detrimental on the unity of community causing distrust among those who rely on the police for safety. When people think of police brutality they usually picture and officer physically hurting a civilian. That may be the case half the time. Police officers will often utilize  nerve gas, pepper spray,  guns, and even dogs in order to physically frighten as well as knowingly hurt citizens. Police brutality can even

The issue of excessive force by law enforcement has been highly debated for the past decade. Police brutality is the act of misconduct done by a member of law enforcement through the use of an extreme force to physically, mentally, or emotionally attack a person or civilian (Chaney and Robertson 482). First of all, police brutality violates human rights. Cassandra Chaney not only believes police brutality is improper and unjust but it is one of the most serious human rights violations in the United States. Citizens who have been attacked by law enforcement have been left with physical and emotional scars that can never go away and in some cases; it has even caused the death of an individual (Schatmeier 44). The job of police officers is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crimes not to cause harm. Secondly, not everyone in a certain race is a criminal. Racial profiling also contributes to police brutality, and it is one of the most common forms. Some may even argue that prejudice against certain race or ethnicities may be the root cause of recent increase in police brutality. Lastly, many people believe that having evidence in the situation of police brutality case would guarantee that the one being convicted would be found guilty, however that is not always the case. Some may even suggest police brutality happens because officers feel they can get away with it or will not be held accountable for their unlawful actions. Excessive force by police officers does not

We are always taught from a young age that if we are in trouble to find a police officer - we can trust them, right? Wrong. Many of these so-called upholders of the law have become the offenders themselves. The very people that are meant to protect society from harm are now the people that are shooting, assaulting, and even killing innocent victims. Imagine not being able to walk out of your front door without fearing for your life, with this threat coming from the so-called “protectors” of society. That is the reality that many people have to face. That is the reality of police brutality.

Having parents that go straight into danger, risk their own lives for the sake of others, shows how police get mislabelled by public affairs. With much controversy on this sensitive topic, many perspectives can affect how one opinionated this issue. Police are correctly trained to protect themselves and the citizens, therefore U.S. police departments do use appropriate force when dealing with the public. A countless number of citizens forget that officers are only doing their job, though the people do not like the result of their personal situation involving the police. Consequently, this causes many uprisings with the way officers perform their duties.

Police corruption is something that has been around a very long time. This started around the time the KKK came into development which contained several police officers back in the 1860’s. This happens to go on in many different ways in today’s society and has been caught on several occasions. Police corruption goes on around the world in many different countries involving many different groups. This being the mafia, gangs, anything along those lines that may pay the police to secretly overlook them or ignore them more than others.

There have been only 10 days in 2017 where no one was killed by police. (mappingpoliceviolence.org) Police Brutality is an unending problem and existent concern in the United States and should be resolved immediately. The problems presented by the illegal actions of police power is a continuous reality for people of unfavorable race, class, and sexual orientation. Law enforcement must serve as an element that comprises of structured and cultivated officers. It is important that police brutality is stopped so that police can remember that they serve the public and not for themselves. Police using excessive force in the United States is a crucial dilemma and must be ended. The problems resulting from Police Brutality can be answered through changes within police departments, improved relations between enforcement and communities as well as personal adjustments amongst all individuals.

Rodney King, is probably one of the most remembered names from America that can create an emotional flashback. Rodney King is one of the first incidents where the use of excessive force was caught on videotape. Excessive force is defined as “force not justified by law or policy”. (Pollock ,2015,p.160) Reports have estimated that around 1.3 to 2.5 percent of all encounters involve excessive force.(Worden and Catlin,2002,p.160) The biggest factors that lead to excessive force can be race, gender, gang membership, and suspect use of force. Police officers that use excessive force can be involved in many ethical dilemmas that can be based on their police training and their mission to protect the public. Excessive force is the result of judgment of social values, racial profiling and quick decision making on the officer’s end. Therefore, police departments should enforce procedures like more trainings that involve the use of lethal items , harsher consequences to wrongdoing and providing more psychological programs for their officers. Following these procedures can help deteriorate the use of excessive force and can help prepare police officers to do their job correctly.

Acts of unnecessary force or acts have led to wrongful sentences and sometimes death. Police jobs are to protect and serve for the safety of the citizens and properties of the people of the United States of America. Police brutality has changed the views of many Americans outlook of the job and duties of a police officer as well as the secure of safety. Police brutality is a crisis in the U.S in which Riots, Protest, took place to put a stop to police brutality and targeting African American communities. An organization was created #BlackLivesMatter in stance to police brutality against African Americans. Police brutality is a major issue and people should be punish for abusing their authority against innocent citizens. Police brutality is because the court is protects our law enforcements as a resulting to a broken system

Keeping order in any society depends fundamentally on a police force to enforce laws and punish transgressors. However, a constant problem cities face has been not only ensuring that policemen do not abuse the power and authority they are given, but that no personal bias enters into their work. Police brutality against citizens involves the use of excessive force when physical action is unnecessary, and it springs from factors such as the race, religion, and socioeconomic status of civilians. Misconduct and violence by the police can occur during protests and demonstrations, or everyday encounters with citizens. Much of the police brutality in the last few decades of American history can be identified to be dependent on racial factors,

The problem of police misconduct related to sexual violence against women has affected the Kenyan community for many decades now. The issue concerning women security should be handled with caution so as to achieve the goal of gender equality in Kenya and the world as a whole. Disturbing statistics reveal how misuse of power by the police worsened the awful conditions that faced women. The police unit is supposed to protect all members of the societies that were closely linked to the sexual violence against women. Some of the sexual abuse cases reported to the police were easily overlooked with the police collaborating with the offenders to undermine the rights of women. Besides, the police in their peacekeeping missions exerted excess force against unarmed civilians. The males received thorough beatings, while females were intimidated, harassed, and raped by the police. Victims of sexual violence committed by the police during the post-election violence have the right to get their justice through punishment of the guilty police and compensation for their losses.