Research Paper Rough Draft: Police Brutality 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 One large factor that fuels police brutality is the media. The media is constantly showing the world what police officers are doing wrong. The book “The Politics of Force: Media and the Construction of Police Brutality”, is a book where author Regina Lawrence does an extensive study on how the media ties in with the formation of police brutality. Lawrence analyzed more than 500 incidents of police use-of-force covered by the New York Times and in the Los Angeles Times from the year 1981 to 1991. Lawrence informs readers of the structural and cultural forces that both shape the news and define when police use excessive force. Lawrence claims that police brutality incidents occur in greater numbers than those that are reported. She also explores how media is obtained, so the public can see a new perspective on policing policies. Journalists decide whether one story makes it to the news if the issues and events need light shone upon them. If it were not for the media, many issues and events would go undocumented, as police and elected officials would rather leave them unexposed. Lawrence also shows how a news event involving the police can become a tool for isolated social groups to gain access to the
Firstly, even after government advancement, the integration of a democratic society, and a greatly improved justice system, individuals still feel threatened by police officers. When police training was created, and guidelines/ penalties were and laid out, they were expected to have a large impact on minimizing incidences of excessive police force. Yet, this is not the case. It is often said that prevention is better than cure, this statement can be applied to police brutality by preventing it befor...
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
Background and Audience Relevance: According to the Human Rights Watch 2012 report on Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States; police brutality has become one the most serious human rights violation. As citizens of the United States it is our duty to make sure that those with authority don 't take advantage of their power.
Police brutality remains one of the most serious and divisive human rights violations in the United States. The excessive use of force by police officers persists because of overwhelming barriers to accountability. This fact makes it possible for officers who commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often to repeat their offenses. Police or public officials greet each new report of brutality with denials or explain that the act was an aberration, while the administrative and criminal systems that should deter these abuses by holding officers accountable instead virtually guarantee them impunity (Williams 45).
Many gathered Saturday to protest a death dealing with an African American man involving police brutality. Stephon Clark ,an unarmed 22-year-old killed by Sacramento police officers on March 18, 2018 , was shot eight times , with most bullets striking him in the back. The officers stated that they shot Clark , firing 20 times , after they believed he was armed . After the incident , Clark was found to be unarmed , having only a cellphone . Blacks should not fear for there life everytime they walk outside or even when pass a police officer . This does not only affect the parents who loss loved ones to police brutality , but it affects all black families and their communities . A parent or siblings should not have to worry about their family
Police Brutality in the United States Has became an issue and is affecting many people’s lives. There is a solution for every problem it is just the matter of finding the correct one that best suites the problem and can correct it. A solution that would really help stop police brutality is to require all police officers in the United States to wear body cameras. This Solution is feasible because this solution is only being brought up to stop what is going on. If all police officers were to wear a body cameras that would record every incident that the police officer responds to and if a homicide was to happen then all the evidence would be in the video recorder. There is no better evidence than actually seeing what happen. Police Officers will
Although many people from the public have tried to come up with different solutions to police brutality, it is still hard to prevent it. The proposed solutions towards police brutality are only countermeasures that can affect how police officers should enforce the law. However, these changes cannot possibly affect the whole nation in a rapid way. It would take a long time before police brutality against African Americans decreases. It is impossible to prevent police brutality towards African Americans and other races because what is considered brutality for one person would not mean the same for someone else. In other words, people have different views as to what is considered an acceptable action and as to what there is an excessive action.
With the number of police brutality cases increasing over time, there has become a variety of causes as well. Policing the police departments is done at the hands of both the chief of the police department and the courts. When dealing with police brutality, the courts look at these situations and cases as just the officers did not use excessive force but used the necessary amount of force to protect the officer and the other officers that are involved in the situation (Worden (1995). The courts do not believe that these allegations are true and they do not fully investigate the allegations because they do not want to find out that their department is not following the policies and that they are taking matters into their own hands. Bandes
Police brutality has been a major human rights violation in the United States and those who experience these events are a majority of the minority community. Police use authority as an advantage to hurt certain people they claim are a threat to society. Many people ignore this violation because they believe that the police are just doing their job but are they really doing their job if it results in the violence of innocent civilians?
As the world spins around, things down on Earth get more gruesome with each second that passes. Whether it is terrorism, robberies or just everyday crimes. Something is happening now, this very second that is rarely mentioned. No one has really paid attention to the bruises, tears or reports. Police brutality is another thing that is either helping or hurting this nation. Police brutality has begun to be a major problem in today’s society.
Police brutality is one of many forms of police felonies which involves violence by police officers. Police brutality exists in many countries and cities and although it is illegal, it can be performed in the name of the law. Police brutality takes place all over the world mainly occurs in africa and America but also happens in Australia too.
Security and safety are things that anyone and everyone are afforded to. It is a basic Human Right that everyone should have. The ones that are mostly responsible for making sure that everyone is safe and are protected are the police. Police officers are the ones that enforce the law, thus they have many powers granted to them. These powers also give the police the ability to decide to do something that is righteous, or something that the absolute opposite of what police officers are supposed to do and that is Police Brutality. Police Brutality is when police officers use excessive or unnecessary force when handling situations. This topic is one that is a common issue all around the world. With the technology that is widely available today,
Riots then and riots now. They both consist of the same thing, a fight for civil rights that hasn’t ended yet and no one does anything about it. More than 80% of population lives on low pay, the LGBTQ community still fights for the stop of discrimination, and black lives matter turns into all lives matter. We’ve heard of our nation symbolizing freedom and equality but are we really?
Throughout time in the U.S, It Seems there have not been too many good interactions with citizens and police .It was found that in the U.S , there have been many instances of police brutality. Throughout the late 19th ,20th ,and 21st centuries police brutality has always been administered to poor people and the socially marginalized . To illustrate this it has been found that Police have killed over 102 unarmed black people in 2015 more than twice a week(mapping police violence 1) . Policemen are now , and have been abusing their authority for some time now .For instance a video captured during the Ferguson Protests in August 2014 encapsulates the absurdity of the abuse in police power ; in that video Ferguson Police order protesters who are standing in their own yards to go back inside of their homes according to Hayes . Also, according to Hayes , when the protesters refused to comply , the protesters were shot at with tear gas as one of the men Protesting shouts ,“This is my backyard!This is our home !This is our residence !” (Hayes 2).The death rate of police killings , race based killings & injury rate , and the non-prosecution of cops must all be terminated .Race and police brutality should be eliminated all over the U.S , and all over
The United States has a serious problem with excessive force and police brutality. In the first 24 days of 2015, 59 fatal police shootings took place (Lartey). In fact, recently, on February 29 2016, there was a ruling on a police brutality case that occurred in August, which resulted in the officer in question being fired from the police department. He was charged with, “Aggravated assault, false arrest, false imprisonment, excessive use of force and failure to follow policy and procedures resulting in physical injury” (Billings). This is not the only incident that has occurred recently, and it will not be the last unless there is something being done to stop brutality. This is a controversial issue in today's time due to the relationship