Running Head: POLICE BRUTALITY 1 Police Brutality Name Institution POLICE BRUTALITY 2 Introduction Police brutality is one of the cases that have hit limelight. Police brutality refers to the excessive use of unwarranted force by law enforcement officers in their line of duty. Police brutality also covers individuals working in state, municipal, as well as federal penal facilities. There have been many incidents of police brutality not only in America but across the globe as well. The number of police shootings, abuse, and excessive use of power has escalated over the years. These incidents continue to exist in the society causing public unrest. The shooting of Michael Brown in 2014 is an example of one of these incidents that affect the society. Brown was eighteen years old when he faced his sudden death after he was assaulted then shot by Darren Wilson (Smith & Holmes, 2003). Brown was unharmed at the time and didn’t pose any immediate threat to the officer. This killing resulted in mass unrest as black people across the country erupted and demonstrated against police brutality. These incidents seems to be race oriented and people of color especially blacks are at a higher risk of abuse by white officers. The prosecutors, jury, Grand Jury, and judges all seem to protect the police officers. When these officers plea that they feared for their life resulting in the accidents, most officers are lifted off the hook. Executive Summary The cases of police brutality in the country have raised a lot of concerns about police officers duty to protect the society. Cases of police brutality are on the increase and unfortunately, most of these cases go unreported. The dominance of police brutality in America is not welldocumented and as a result, statistics on these occurrences are less available. There are few statistics that exist including a report compiled by the Department of Justice in 2006 that reveal over 26,556 reports of police brutality were filed in 2002 and of these reports, 2,000 of them were POLICE BRUTALITY 3 concluded merit (Smith & Holmes, 2003). Although these figures appear alarming, most of these cases go unreported. Many Americans have the cause to file complain about police complains in the country including verbal abuse, discourtesy, as well as physical abuse. Many of these individuals victimized by the police fail to file complains for various reasons including the intimidation associated with the process as the instituted unnecessary difficulties. A lot of demonstrations have transpired in the country for a long time with people airing their voices against police brutality. The most victimized members of the society are Black-Americans (Smith & Holmes, 2003). Police are supposed to keep the society safe. However, these trends in police brutality reveal that the police pose a bigger threat to the society than the criminals they fight. This problem gets worse as among the many cases reported, none of the police officers has being held accountable. These officers hide behind the curtain that they feared for their life. These occurrences bring in the question of who will safeguard the society if the people cannot trust the justice system in place. Scenario Background The cause of police brutality remains an issue of concern. The primary cause of police brutality is racial profiling. Police officers view some groups mainly minority groups as deserving of excess violence. The police officers are also oppressing and controlling in nature that result in increased violence. Finally, many officers use violence as a means for getting their suspects to make a confession (Lendman, 2010). Police officer threatens their victims even at gun point to get their confession or even make a statement due to their identified oppressive nature. List key stakeholders and supporting figures/organizations, POLICE BRUTALITY 4 The key stakeholders in this case include the government, the American citizens, and the criminal justice system at large. The problem of police brutality isn’t limited to the police department and expands throughout the justice system as these cases go unpunished which means the justice system is also similarly corrupt. The government has not taken any significant initiative to address the problem (Lendman, 2010). Everyday hundreds of Americans are killed by those they elected to protect them and the government remains passive about the issue. The American citizens are the victims in these case more so Black-Americans. A black American cannot freely walk on the streets without the fear of been stopped by a police officers for questioning even if they have done anything wrong. For example, let’s take the example of Michael Brown. The young Black-American boy was shot by an officer two times his size who claimed he was scared for his life and as a result opened fire (Holmes, 2000). Brown was just a kid when he was murdered that means nobody is safe in their homes anymore. There is also another killing of a black man that hit social media hard as the video circulated the world at large. The man was shot dead by a police officer in his back yard. These cases show that the lives of Americans are at risk and have nobody to protect them. Analysis Police brutality is often attributed to racial profiling. Many police officers attribute blacks with criminal activities. As a result, the police officer becomes suspicious every time he sees a black person regardless of what the person. For example, a white police officer is more likely to stop a black man driving an expensive car to investigate about the car ownership and determine if it was reported stolen. This is just an example of what happens every day. Instead of resulting to violence, police officers can opt to call for backup to avoid resulting to adverse measures that fall POLICE BRUTALITY 5 under police brutality. With proper backup, police officers are less likely to use excessive force. Police also need to be trained on cultural competency to help them relate with these minorities groups better (Lendman, 2010). Police brutality is very dangerous as it results in the loss of many innocent lives. At the same time, most people have lost faith in police and the justice system at large. as a result, these people are less likely to go to the police when faced by a problem and will chose to take matters in their hands due to lack of trust in police officers to attain justice. This will result in a disorganized society that will alarm the existing life balance At the same time, there are cases when police brutality is acceptable under the law. There are cases when police officers have to use excessive force to protect their lives. Every day police officers deal with harmed criminals and are faced with a situation of die or kill where they are forced to use the weapons. These cases do not count as police brutality. However, use of excessive force should only occur when the police are faced with similar threat (Holmes, 2000). For example, when chasing an armed robber who opens fire in public, a police officer will be forced to open fire in return not only to save his life but safe the lives of public. Police officers should ensure the force they use when dealing with citizens equal the threat at hand. Recommendations New legislations There are various ways for mitigating the issue of police brutality in America. The most effective way of tackling the problem is the introduction of legislations that hold police officers accountable for abuse of power. The legislation should declare police brutality illegal and have serious repercussions for the perpetrators other than losing their batches. Police brutality is the POLICE BRUTALITY 6 abuse of power and as a result, the government should pass policies that hold the police accountable for their actions. The legislation should include strict requirement that in order to use excessive force such as firing, he should be facing a similar threat (Lendman, 2010). Opening fire on an unarmed individual will be regarded violation of the law. Fearing or life shouldn’t be allowed to be used as cover up for crimes committed. Wearing Body Cameras Although this initiatives has been put in place in some parts of the country, it remains ineffective as police are allowed to switch off the camera in cases they feel it is risky. In other words, this exception means the police officers can switch off the camera to avoid incriminating themselves when they engage in unlawful activities (Holmes, 2000). As a result, the use of body cameras shouldn’t be switched off at the officer’s discretion at any time and should remain live at all times. This strategy will help eliminate some bad apples that contaminate our justice system. Conclusion Statistical results reveal that police brutality is a major issue of concern in America. Furthermore there are no exact statistical results to reveal the level of police brutality in the society as most people are scared of reporting these cases. There are numerous reports that show that cases of police brutality go unreported. For example, the results from the “Police Services Study” conducted in 1982 and funded by the federal government reveal that of the 13.6% participants who were victims of police brutality, only 30% reported such crimes (Smith & Holmes, 2003). These figures mean that there are thousands of police officers out there who abuse their power and get away with it. The results observed reveal that the issue is escalating. More and more people are POLICE BRUTALITY 7 losing their lives every day in the hands of police officers due to abuse of power. As a result, police brutality should be declared a matter of national security by the government to protect the citizens against abuse. The government should take more adverse measures to curb these incidents and rid the department of these officers who abuse their power. POLICE BRUTALITY 8 References Holmes, M. D. (2000). Minority threat and police brutality: Determinants of civil rights criminal complaints in US municipalities. Criminology, 38(2), 343-368. Smith, B. W., & Holmes, M. D. (2003). Community accountability, minority threat, and police brutality: An examination of civil rights criminal complaints. Criminology, 41(4), 10351064. Lendman, S. (2010). Police brutality in America. Baltimore Chronicle & Sentinel.
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