Theories Behind Why Police Use Excessive Force

Theories behind Why Police Use Excessive Force

Police use of deadly force against black males is more prevalent in low-income black communities. There are several theories that support the reason behind why police choose to use deadly/physical excessive force. According to Wilson and Kelling’s (1982) “Broken Windows Theory” argument, it states that little offenses lead to big problems if communities aren’t concerned about the disorder and minor offenses. In addition, the sociology of risk and mistake which is (rooted in organization sociology) it is the sub-discipline that analyzes the structure and operation of formal organizations, such as police departments it reveals that police organizations are prone to risk and mistake (Scharf and

Americans have always been uneasy about being policed by an armed constabulary (Chevigny 1996; Klinger, 2004). The history of police has always left an unsatisfying taste in civilian’s mouth. Rappers such as N.W.A. of Compton, La and Public Enemy, talk about their fears and experiences getting into an encounter with police officers. The rap group Public Enemy wrote a song called “911 is a joke” which talked about how contacting the police department in time of need is a joke because police don’t respond quickly to crime ridden areas where often, blacks reside. The Social Theory of Deterrence supports the fact that police officers do react according to their beliefs. The belief that high crime areas are the way they are because there is a lacking in governance in these areas. Social Theory of Deterrence is believed to have flaws in the areas of police use of excessive force, but the theory is believed to have the ability to help bring forward new changes in police

According to the Christopher Commission’s (1991) article on police crimes, it stated that white police officers were somewhat more likely to use excessive force against African Americans and watchdog groups like the American Civil Liberties Unions (ACLU, 2016). Kwon (2012) stated in his “Theoretical Understanding of Police Brutality” paper why there are only a “few bad apples”, and the reasons behind why excessive force is used toward certain citizens using the following theories: (1) Social Conflict Theory, (2) Symbolic Interactionism, and (3) Control Balance Theory using Charles Tittle’s ‘Theory of Deviance’ (1995) he explains the Macro-level and Micro-level preconditions of the act of police brutality calling police “social control agents” he asks the question why some law enforcement officers engage in abusive behaviors calling minorities the “weak in society” and those who are more prone to victimization. In addition, Tittle’s asks “how do micro-and-macro level factors come to influence their individual-level behaviors?” He explains that in order to contribute to the existing body of theoretical research on the topic of police brutality, you must establish an alternative theoretical framework. The main role of police officers is to: maintain the status quo of inequality (Homes et al. 2008;