Police Brutality

In recent years, with easier access to information due to the internet, cases of police brutality and misconduct are appearing at an alarming rate all over the internet. It is in no doubt becoming more apparent to the public eye that the citizens are now paranoid or alarmed not only around criminals, but also around police officers. This paper will discuss situations where lethal methods were used in non-lethal situations, police accountability, and possible solutions to decrease police brutality and misconduct. Police brutality and misconduct can be defined and interpreted in many ways. Different perspectives must be evaluated to properly decide whether the officer performed unlawfully or inappropriately. An officer has a license to kill if,

for example, a violent drug addict threatens his life or the life of others. If a violent drug addict is raging toward the officer swinging a baseball bat, the officer can and should respond with lethal force by shooting the drug addict. On the other hand, the family of the drug addict can claim police brutality and that the officer performed unlawfully. Having experienced so many life or death situations, certain officers suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, which can trigger nightmares, flashbacks, and even severe anxiety. With the increasing harassment of the police, it is more crucial than ever to know our rights as citizens of the United States. Police brutality and misconduct are not issues that can be solved overnight. It is required by the people to educate themselves of the law, exercise our rights, and change the system to discourage police brutality and misconduct.
In the first place, police officers are not responsible for their actions and decisions.

What happens if an officer discharges his or her armed weapon upon another human-being multiple times? The punishment for murder yield the harshest sentences, and if found guilty can face either the death penalty or life in prison without parole. Demian Bulwa, an editor for SFGATE.com writes, “in the past 20 years, at least 17 police officers in the United States have been charged with murder for their actions in line-of-duty shootings” and I was shocked that not even one officer was convicted of a charge. No other profession can outright murder without facing serious repercussions. A physician can be sued for malpractice if found guilty of negligence. An officer found committing homicide someone is put on administrative

leave.
Furthermore, officers are quick to resort to their firearm weapon while carrying non-lethal alternatives. They are issued to wear a duty belt that holds several gadgets such as flashlights, electroshock weapons, batons, handcuffs, and pepper spray. A good officer will use the training they have received to best evaluate the situation to prevent casualties. (Roufa). Although in many situations and, despite these gadgets, officers will likely always choose their firearm first.
Being an officer in certain areas can be a demanding and stressful job. They are sometimes given insufficient information of an incident and are trained to act defensively, in order to make sure any civilians nearby are safe, including themselves. Having to deal with con artists, abusive people, sociopaths, psychopaths, drug addicts, murders, and thieves on a can really alter someone’s perception of people. Police officers can struggle with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and are always on the edge. It is impossible to tell whether a person is a threat or not. Any person can have a gun in their car or seem innocent. A person can panic, shove an officer, and accidentally cause a lot of injuries. An officer must be assertive and tough to be efficient at the job. If the police force were not assertive and tough they would not be taken serious by lawbreakers. While that might be the case, in non-threatening situations, police officers can be critical and fail to speak to an ordinary citizen with no suspicion or evidence of wrongdoing of that person. They demand information with a harsh tone “why are you here” while simply walking home. It is quite debatable on the situation, whether a cop should be allowed to continue their career. There are many perspectives to consider and the fact of the matter is police officers do not have an easy job.
After all, officers are only human and due to a demanding and stressful job police officers should be required to take psychological evaluations bi-yearly to determine if they are stable. There is a variety of reasons why a person would make questionable actions. Like with any job, a person can have an inadequate amount sleep or receive awful news of their personal life that might reflect their actions on duty. Do not aggravate an officer in any situation, especially if they appear infuriated because they can and will use anything you do or say against you. An officer’s actions can affect a multitude of people’s lives. It is absolutely crucial that an officer maintains peak mental health.
In any event, that a police officer kills someone, they need to be extensively evaluated. The footage was taken from one of the police officer’s body cameras. Eliott C. McLaughlin, a news desk editor for CNN, writes “within 5 [sic] seconds of that first command, the 39-year-old schizophrenic man, is shot five times—including twice in the back as he crashes headlong into the home's garage door, just a few feet from his mother.” The video exhibits both officers’ using excessive lethal force to disarm a non-lethal threat, who was not given ample time to react to the orders. Based off solely on the information obtained in the video, this situation both officers’ exercised excessive lethal force and both should be charged with second degree murder. The officers’ perform poorly and face no repercussions by pleading self-defense. A grown man was shot dead multiple times for standing in his home’s doorway just after mere seconds of receiving these officers’ orders. From the officers’ perspective, they assumed that this man had lethal intentions and lunged at them, in which, then they responded with lethal action. It is hard to determine if either officer should be punished.
Another example of police officers using excessive force is when a 22-year-old man named Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by four New York City police officers in plainclothes at his apartment building. Michael Cooper, a reporter for the New York Times covered this story. Amadou Diallo was a shy immigrant—looking for a better life for himself— and also a hard-worker, devout Muslim, and did not smoke nor drink. While Diallo was reaching for his wallet to show the officers his identification, the officers mistook the wallet as a gun and immediately fired at Diallo. These officers were not only not wearing their police uniform at Diallo’s apartment, but also had no proof or evidence that this man had committed any crimes. It is understandable why a police officer might be paranoid, but in this situation, what information can cause an officer to “fear for their lives or the lives of others” (Cooper)? This is just one of the many cases where the police showed a “shoot-first” mentality and faced no repercussions.
For the reasons mentioned earlier, body cameras are now a part of an officer’s uniform and are required by law to wear. We have multiple stories why video footage is not enough to charge a police officer of his or her wrongdoing. For instance, there is video footage of the entire event of Eric Garner’s death by the hands of a New York City police officer, which apparently was not enough evidence to prosecute the officer. A human rights activist and law professor, Justin Hansford, argues how President Obama’s proposal to spend millions of dollars for body cameras is ineffective. Eric Garner repeatedly mentioned “I can’t breathe” while the officer continued using the banned choke-hold. The footage recorded off a cellphone provides a better perspective and allows an accurate interpretation of the event than a body camera ever would. Unfortunately, body cameras “[provide] a one-sided view of the interaction, allowing outsiders to scrutinize the citizens’ every move, but leaving them blind to the police officers’ behavior” (Hansford). Body cameras can be more effective if the public can view the camera’s video feed live and a functional website to report any misconduct. The police are public servants after all and the lower class is accustomed to being under surveillance. The police have no claim that body cameras are an invasion of privacy.
It is important to realize we have unalienable rights and we must educate ourselves and prevent police officers taking advantage of our ignorance.

However, citizens in high crime areas are not privileged to attend and receive a proper education for a variety of reasons. Howard Zinn speaks about the American dream, and the policies and priorities of our previous presidents in chapter 21 of a People’s History of the United States. Zinn expresses how these policies have widened the power and wealth between the poor and rich. Zinn describes a struggling mother in search for employment and having to sell her own bed to pay for her car’s insurance. Many people believe that if you work hard enough and follow the rules that you will become rich and wealthy. Despite having the required college degree and experience, the economic system was unable to supply her with a job that pays a sustainable wage. What kind of example does this teach her children? It is understandable that these kids see no alternative other than theft to help pay the bills. They are more likely to repeat the cycle of poverty like many poor families do, unless the government intervenes and shows improvement. Without the proper knowledge and the proper economy, officers will exploit those less fortunate and violate their

rights.
The public can be our greatest resource against police brutality and misconduct. Copwatch and Copblock are great organizations that have the people observe and record the police of any wrongdoings. They are not widespread enough to be a practical solution. The government should promote these organizations and make them “official” by offering them identity and legitimacy. With live camera feeds that are streamed to the public and these organizations patrolling will help solidify the reform
This entire reform will be rendered pointless if we do not evaluate what an officer can and cannot do and insure them with liability. Police officers, regardless of their relationship with one another, should pay attention to other officers to prevent brutality and misconduct. They should not have arrest quotas and harass citizens for the silliest of crimes, for example, jaywalking. The police currently operate as mere revenue collectors, instead of observing for serious offenders and maintaining the peace. Every officer needs to be issued with liability insurance for accountability for their actions. The police are not above the law, they are only to enforce the law.