Police Use Of Force Continuum Essay

1616 Words4 Pages

The police protocol on force, using the force continuum, is not a bad thing itself; however, with misguided views and misunderstanding it can be applied in a bad way. The force continuum serves as a guidance tool for officers to follow in order to properly uphold their duties. Each individual department has the ability to implement the use of a force continuum that goes along the lines of the Constitution in order to educate officers on what amount of force they can or cannot use. This in theory is a perfect way for officers to implement justice without infringing on any American citizens’ personal rights. This would have a positive effect on society and allow the law to be enforced with limited debate amongst the public. Officers often misinterpret or just do not understand how this continuum is supposed to work. Consequently, people are put at risk because of a lack of knowledge and training. Officers make decisions in a few seconds that impact not only their lives but also the lives of people around them forever. The public opinion versus how police perceive things also plays a role in this debate. Many people assume that as a way to show dominance, police officers will freely use force in order to show that they are in control. Although there are problems internally in …show more content…

I chose this topic after hearing about the Michael Brown case. I feel that although this is a very controversial topic, it is something that should be further explored by society as whole. I thought of all the police incidents of brutality going on and wanted to know how common it actually is, compared to how the media interprets it. Police brutality is a relevant and contemporary problem that will continue to be an issue as laws start to

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