(n.d.) Retrieved from http://definitions.uslegal.com/p/police-brutality/) Police brutality has been an issue in the past and it continues today. Police brutality is not only physical harm but it’s also psychological harm. We need to analyze how much police brutality really goes on out there. We also need to be aware of how often police brutality goes on, and how we as citizens can minimize it by reporting it when we see it or if it happens to us. We know that police officers use excessive force, and they also use their authority to verbally abuse people.
In recent years, police actions or police abuse has come into the view of the public and critical eye. While citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals. It has now been that they must also keep an eye on those who are supposed to protect and serve. Police brutality remains one of the most serious and disruptive human rights violations in the Unites States. Police officers use extreme measures when it is unnecessary causing a major concern in today’s society, this misconduct should be addressed.
Controlling Police Brutality The police have served an integral part in society as out protectors. Throughout the years, however, scholars as well as we citizens have begun to question the use of force, racism and internal corruption as well as other forms of misconduct by our officers of the law. The excessive use of force by police officers persists because of overwhelming barriers to their accountability. For instance, when police do get in trouble, it is normally a slap on the wrist, a lecture or loss of a vacation day as it stated in the article “Good Cop Bad Cop.” This fact makes it possible for officers who commit these violations to escape punishment and then often repeat their offenses. Every report of abuse is often met with denial or explanation of why the abuse was necessary instead of taking any real action like a suspension or removal of their badge in most cases.
Police Code of Silence Some experts will explain that people become police officers for the power and status of the job, while other say they join in order to help people but over time become cynical and corrupted by other officers. The culture of being a police officer instills a sense of entitlement to power and authority over the rest of society (The Brotherhood). This sense of entitlement breeds the police personality. That is, when an officer puts on the police uniform they also assume the role of authority that goes along with it many times commanding the obedience and respect from the public as a whole. The police personality fosters and “us vs. them” mentality that cops are always the good guys and everyone else is a potential bad guy (The Brotherhood).
Tommy Ly 10/13/11 Module Six Class Debate Community Oriented Policing (COP) versus Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Community-Oriented Policing Community-Oriented Policing grew out of public dissatisfaction with police forces that were perceived as “occupying armies” rather than public servants—and with police concerns about increasing calls for service. The idea behind COP is that if police departments can work with other agencies and community groups to address underlying problems, the quality of life for citizens will improve, and police calls for service will decline. Policing under the COP model is multi-dimensional and proactive, depending heavily on officers' abilities to took at situations from a “big-picture” perspective and to problem-solve creatively. The COP approach means that officers use a range of skills: social work, negotiation, grass-roots organizing, planning, and others. Citizens get to know officers as human beings, not just “robo-cops” in blue.
The citizens feel they are guilty until proven innocent. There can be uprising in communities where these actions are taking place causing more instability in high crime areas. When a suspect is arrested, they are more likely to resist arrest due to the perception that they may be abused while in custody. The law enforcement code and the cop code are tied to public perceptions on the role of law enforcement because the citizens believe the complete force is corrupt due to the actions of a few officers. The actions of just a few officers are put on the news for viewers to see.
Some would believe that this abusive force may sometimes be necessary for criminals that seriously need to be apprehended and are not complying with orders, but that force should only extend to a certain degree, which is just enough to subdue that criminal. In many cases, police officers continue to use gratuitous force on someone, often causing far greater damage then intended, or allowed, for that matter. Brutality by law enforcement dates as far back as to the Roman Empire, and are still quite prevalent in the world today….much more often than you would think, or could even imagine. Police brutality in the United States rose greatly in the 1920’s with the establishment of prohibition, and a few decades later brutality rates increased again during the African American Civil Rights Movement. Many civilians, including myself, believe that these police officers think they can do these things because they believe they are merely ‘’above the law.’’ This summer I was a victim of such crimes brought about by the New York Police Department.
Is it ethical or unethical…that is the question. First off, what is “professional courtesy?” In law enforcement professional courtesy is when an on-duty officer pulls over an off-duty or retired officer for some traffic violation and lets him go, by not issuing a ticket or arresting him. The central ideal behind this behavior is that cops have to stick together, to look out for each other. In a profession that yields little respect from the general public officers should support other officers, not try to bring them down. This subject has many perspectives however, and each officer, depending on his life experiences and personal values, feels differently about this ethical dilemma.
Moreover, the families of fatally injured victims often suffer many of the same psychological tolls. Another psychological effect of police of police brutality is the way a victim views law enforcement after being attacked. Some individuals end up assuming all law enforcement takes advantage of their authoritative positions. In some cases, this creates an even bigger issue concerning retaliation of the victims themselves. In addition to psychological effects, victims can undergo from physical effects.
1 Police Brutality Police brutality is still one of the most serious human violations in the United States. The intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation by police officers persists because of overwhelming barriers to accountability. Police brutality can be from calling a citizen by his or her name to a death by a policeman’s bullet. What the average citizen thinks of when he hears the term, however, it is something midway between these two occurrences which can be more common to what the police profession knows as alley court. These facts make it possible for officers who commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often repeat their offenses.