The community have given police officers beyond substantial amounts of power over civilians, to ensure the safety of society and the prevention of crime. These entail the power to arrest and detain people, obtain information, carry out searches on you, your possessions or your vehicle, seize things, and obtain identifying information, such as DNA and fingerprints ("Under arrest and police powers | Legal Aid WA", 2018)(us et al., 2018). With these reigns the police have a wide range of freedom to utilise their judgement in regards to which laws to enforce, when and against whom ("Misuse of police powers: Police officer involved domestic violence | Abuse of power | Diane Wetendorf Inc", 2018). While there are certain protocols that they need …show more content…
When law enforcement officers misuse and abuse their authority to in fact harm civilians, it contradicts their role in society which is to keep society “safe”, questioning our trust in them. Some officers regard themselves as the law itself rather than their actual role, which is to enforce the law. Every law enforcement officer which abuses their authority, use the criminal justice system as a leeway to abuse their power. They state to the victim that is within their power to deprive them of their physical safety, security, privacy, freedom and life if and when they choose. An example of what officers tend to say to their victims are: "Call the police. Who are they going to believe?”. This shows that the police use their authority as a way to manipulate civilians, removing them of their civil liberties and as a result abusing the law. They know that a great systemic resistance against prosecuting an officer exist so they continuously do it ("Misuse of police powers: Police officer involved domestic violence | Abuse of power | Diane Wetendorf Inc", 2018). The law enforcers need to remember that just because they hold a badge it does not mean that they are above the law, they still need to comply with protocols and procedures to play their role in …show more content…
Brown was unlawfully murdered by a Caucasian police officer in Ferguson Missouri, in 2015. Following the tragic event, statistics on police brutality in the US skyrocketed and were at an all time high, with the majority resulting in death of the victims. Two days after the death of Michael Brown, another black man, Ezell Ford was unlawfully murdered by law enforcement officers in Los Angeles. In November the same year, Ohio police officers again unlawfully murdered a 12-year-old child who was playing with a replica shotgun in a playground (Nedim, 2018). An evident trend in these police brutality cases are that people of colour or civilians from marginalised areas are always the set targets. A survey was conducted and 71% of participants agree that police brutality has racial and bias elements. Responses
It is easy for police to get caught up in the idea that it is them against the rest of society (Barkan, 2012). Many citizens in today’s democratic society have a negative or fearful view of our law enforcement. Think back to grade school, who was that one kid in class that everyone was annoyed by or despised? Most people would answer the teacher’s pet or the tattletale. We have grown up from a young age to have a negative view towards those that get us into trouble when we think we can get away with something we know is wrong. In the adult world, the police force can equate to those tattletales.
In 2014, the death of Eric Garner in New York City raised controversial conversations and highlighted the issues of race, crime, and policing in neighborhoods that tend to be poor and racially isolated. Garner, an unarmed black man, was killed after being tackled and held in a “chokehold.” According to the AP Polls in December 2014, “Police killings of unarmed blacks were the most important news stories of 2014.” The problem is that young black men are targeted by police officers in which they have responded with the misuse of force and policy brutality. It is evident that this issue affects many people nationwide. The civilians do not trust the police department and the justice system because they hold the perceptions that police officers are immune from prosecution despite their actions. In particular, black individuals, specifically black males, do not feel safe in the presence of police officers because they are not held accountable for their mistakes.
In America, police brutality affects and victimizes people of color mentally and socially. Social injustice has become a major issue, which involved the principle of white supremacy vs minorities. The current police brutality that has been occurring is culturally disconnecting ethnicities from one another. According to Cincinnati Police Chief Jeffrey Blackwell, “…the cultural disconnect is very real; you have the weight of generations of abuse on African Americans,” (Flatow, 2016). For example, over the past four years, there have been countless acts of police brutality. The three key deaths of Eric Garner, Philando Castile, and Alton Sterling have become the face of police brutality in the year 2016. People knew that it was unequal treatment of black people by police in the United States and they made it known by creating #BlackLivesMatter.
“But they didn't have to beat me this bad. I don't know what I did to be beat up." Rodney King, March 3, 1991. Police Brutality has been a long lasting problem in the United States since at least 1903 when police Captain Williams of the New York Police Department said the phrase, "There is more law at the end of a policeman's nightstick than in a decision of the Supreme Court." In the 1920's the Wichersham Commission had a number of instances of police brutality. Many of these included the use of the "third degree" (beating to obtain a confession). This is a very effective way to get a confession out of somebody. However, beating the accused could easily elicit a confession from a scared and innocent person. Also, this puts the accused person's life in danger. Police officers must make snap life and death decisions daily. Officers' work in an environment where death (theirs, their partners, and an innocent or guilty person) is one decision away. How does that constant fear effect an officer's perception? Unfortunately, many that are attracted to law enforcement are aggressive and prone towards violence as a solution. Police officers have a lot of power. With this power comes responsibility. Police brutality can be defined as the excessive or unreasonable use of force in dealing with citizens, suspects and offenders.
Every day law enforcement officials are faced with the possibility of being assaulted or killed while in the line of duty and when off duty. Officers are faced with the harsh reality that today may be their last day alive. This leads to a rush of adrenaline when responding to crimes or when they encounter various situations. Often this rush of adrenaline can cloud an officer’s judgment. Officers are then faced with the possibility of being accused of excessive force. Citizens often call an officers use of excessive force “police brutality” (Petrowski, 2005). Citizen’s opinion of law enforcement has often been linked to the media’s tactics of displaying officers using what appears to be excessive force during an arrest. This typically leads to citizens becoming outraged and creates an issue for the force. The question then arises as to what exactly is excessive force? While many citizens may characterize force as excessive, the law reflects the realities that officer’s face in making decisions to use force (Petrowski, 2005). Each complaint of excessive force has to be examined and a decision made based on the evidence and circumstances surrounding the case. It is the agency’s duty to gain control of police officers use of force in order
The police forces in every community are deemed law enforcement officers and have to take necessary precautions in executing their job. Individuals that police officers encounter may at any time threaten the security of the officer or others. Police officers have to follow procedures that are necessary to maintain control of situations that can cause harm to others or property. The three topics that will be discussed in police use of force are; the explanation and background of use of force, limitations of use of force, and disputed court cases dealing with police use of force.
Police misconduct is as rampant as ever in America, and it has become a fixture of the news cycle. Police brutality is the use of any force exceeding that reasonably necessary to accomplish a lawful police purpose. The media is inevitably drawn toward tales of conflict, hence why there are so many crime and police stories on the news. Despite the increasing frequency of misbehaving cops, many Americans still maintain a high respect for the man in uniform. Still, police misconduct is a systemic problem, not just an anecdotal one. Here are some reasons why it is a problem. First, many departments do not provide adequate training in nonviolent solutions. With this, police are unfamiliar with what to
Police have the duty and responsibility to enforce the laws and ordinances within their jurisdiction, maintain order, and assist those within the community. Police officers protect property and lives (Duties & Responsibilities of Police Officers, 1975). In the course of duty, a police officer may use force when necessary. The International Association of Chiefs of Police has defined force as “that amount of effort required by police to compel compliance from an unwilling subject” (Police Use of Force in America 2001, 2001). The use of force is accepted as part of police work and is allowed until the force becomes excessive. Excessive force is defined as “the application of an amount and/or frequency of force greater than that required to compel compliance from a willing or unwilling subject” (Police Use of Force in America 2001, 2001). The use of excessive force may become a criminal act committed by a police officer. Police use of force is divided between non-lethal and lethal force. Non-lethal force is most commonly used by police officers, but lethal force may be necessary and acceptable to the situation. Non-lethal force includes physical force such as an officer placing a hand on an individual to show a position of authority and control, stun guns, batons, and bean-bag shots. Lethal force is most commonly the use of a firearm. The amount of force necessary is unique to each situation, may change as a situation evolves, and often depends on the experience level of the officer.
In the Ferguson article (2015), there was an example given about an African American man claimed that he was standing outside of of Wal-Mart, an officer called him a “stupid motherf****r” and a “bastard.” According to the man, a lieutenant was on the scene and did nothing to reproach the officer, instead threatening to arrest the man (p. 80). This demonstrates that the police in Ferguson had no respect for the civilian and even though the lieutenant was present, they did nothing. The officer was not suspended nor held responsible for this incident. By failing to hold officers accountable, it sends a message that officers can behave as they like, “regardless of law or policy, and even if caught, that punishment will be light.” (Ferguson, 86). This message serves to excuse officer wrongdoing and heighten community distrust. This is also to say that police can possibly get away with murder because they are higher officials and work for the
"Proper use of discretion is probably the most important measure of a police officer or department." -- Rich Kinsey (retired police detective)
Chaney and Robertson, (2013) stated that “The Department of Justice office of Civil Rights has investigated more than a dozen police departments in major cities across the country on allegations of racial discrimination or police brutality”. Police brutality is defined as the use of excessive physical force or verbal assault and psychological intimidation. White police officers who grew up in the south and were raised to see African Americans in a negative way have a lower opinion of them. However, not all white police officers are from the south, some say that police officers are just abusing their power. When we look at what is going on around the country, it appears racism plays a part in police brutality. Even during this new digital age, there are video cameras in police cars facing the front of the vehicle, but that still does not hinder police using excessive
Abstract This paper will describe police power and police authority. I will also talk about police discretion as to who gets locked up and who is allowed to go free. This paper will discuss the different uses of police force. In this paper, I will also talk about police attitude, police misconduct, and physical abuse among police officers.
Protests around the world have taken place to fight for justice in the black community. The immense number of deaths of unarmed black men and women is a clear sign that they are more likely to be killed by police than white people. Physical violence and excessive use of force by the U.S. police towards African Americans are seen in the news regularly. “People, including police officers, hold strong implicit associations between blacks, and probably Hispanics, and weapons, crime and aggression," said Jack Glaser. Police brutality statistics show that African Americans are three times more likely to be murdered by cops than any other race. Racial disparity in the United States is a coherent reason for the increase of criminal injustice in the United
According to the National Police Academy, in the past year, there have been over 7,000 reports of police misconduct; fatalities have been linked to more than 400 of these cases (Gul). Police brutality is often triggered by disrespect towards the police officer. The most noticeable form of brutality is physical, where Chemical gas, batons, tasers, and guns, can be used for physical intimidation or to actually hurt people. Police brutality can also take the form of verbal abuse or psychological intimidation. It seems reasonable to understand that sometimes the police are put into situations where excessive force may be needed. But, because some officers use these extreme actions in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed and looked into by both the police and the public. For instance, a police officer who beats a nonviolent protester with a baton would probably be accused of excessive use of force, under the argument that the police officer probably could have dealt with the situation less violently.
The success of the criminal investigation process in achieving justice can be seen through its efforts to balance the rights of the victim, offender and the community, this is evident in the areas of police powers and discretion. Police powers constitute police officers to exercise special powers such as search and seizure and the use of reasonable force. These powers are outlined in the Law Enforcement (Powers