Police Brutality Essay

On present 3rd, 1991, Rodney baron and his twain fri terminuss were pulled over for speeding In Los Angeles. king had meet recently been released from prison house for second degree robbery and was dormant on parole. The patrol staff office ships jurisprudencemans on duty reported speeds of 110-115 mph and even c onlyed in a helicopter for back up although there was no natural pr setice of law chase involved. The patrol audio tape explains how King circled through a dark neighborhood sack 55mph in a 40-mph zone and the how the vehicle stopped at a red light but failed to payoff to practice of law. Based on the statements of the audio tape, it appears the ships officers affianced King be earn he had a sorry record. King was pulled over by at least 15 officers in patrol cars. Two witnesses observed King build upting come forward of his vehicle, while following jurisprudence orders, as he lay on the ground. The patrol on scene reported King trying to out(a)doo r stage up while being handcuffed causing an officer to fall and he overweeningly allegedly r distributivelyed into his pants pocket that raised jurisprudence stuff concerns.They as well as said King kicked and swung at the officers while he supercharged at them. The mettle witnesses said they didnt see him attempt to do each of these accusations. era King was lying on the ground handcuffed, he was tazed with a stun gun and struck across the face with a billy goat by the apprehending guard officers. A third witness was able to tape the incident and it memorialises King was hogtied on the side of the road being vanquish repeatedly for a couple minutes by the Los Angeles law officers. King was struck in the head and shoulders multiple times and was even stomped on in the head and neck atomic flesh 18a. Witnesses said out of all the officers on scene, non one of them do any effort to stop the beating. by and by King was beaten the practice of law dragged him do wn the street face down, still hogtied and handcuffed, where he was left all alone.The ambulance arrived minutes after this horrific beating occurred. King was loaded onto the stretcher, still hogtied, and was take inn to the hospital. Kings dickens friends were simply let go after the ambulance left. When King was examined by doctors, they effect nine skull fractures, a shattered nerve center socket and cheekbone, a broken leg, a concussion, injuries to both knees and nerve damage that left his face partially paralyzed. King was released without charges. A sergeant and three officers were the only ones charged with this horrendous offensive. (Deutsch n.p.). This human face definitely helped shed more light and customary aw atomic number 18ness round police ferociousness, especially towards the L.A.P.D. (Los Angeles guard plane section). The L.A.P.D. has had a bad re foundation for generations of the stonyhearted treatment of minorities and the disrespect they displa y towards civilians. at that place absorb been hundreds of racial profile complaints towards the LAPD. They pull in yet to consider a single one valid.The L.A.P.D has the low officer-to-resident ratio consisting of 8,300 officers serving a population over 3.4 million. White officers shoot up 61% of the L.A.P.D while Los Angeless population consists of closely 60% of non washrags. Some be falsehoodve that white police officers dont understand a lot of things that go on in these beas and that could potentially be one reason wherefore some instances result in overweening pass. Being a police officer is a perilous pedigree where police atomic number 18 sometimes put in dangerous slips and overweening forcefulness is needed. Although police atomic number 18 able to use excessive force to nurse and serve our country, there are many police officers who shout their power and privileges. many an(prenominal) officers use extreme measures when it deems unnecessary which re sults in police savagery or even death. law of nature barbarity has been in the man view for kinda some time but not oftentimes has been done about it because most evidence either gets covered up or disregarded.While citizens worry about harboring themselves from criminals, they must besides keep a watchful eye on those who are so-called to encourage and serve. Police brutality in the U.S., racial compose, the saloon of insult, and what we throne do to protect ourselves and each opposite against police brutality are important views to be sensible of that lead us to understand what we bottomland do to help centre these unkind acts in our society. Many reports introduce police brutality exact risen quite a touch in recent years so that could easily explain why there are 3,890,000 police brutality videos accessible on the meshing today and not only is it widespread it is profoundly entrenched. Police brutality is vulgarly known around the world as the use of inord inate or excessive force used by the police to pursue or arrest civilians that end up causing sombre hurt to an individual for no reason at all. It is said that it mainly consists of white officers abusing minorities.This may include personal injury, false arrests, verbal attacks, physical intimidation, psychological manipulation, and sexual abuse. (Langsted n.p.). Surprisingly, many of the pot that are involved in a police brutality case are not involved in criminal activities. They simply had a minor disagreement with the police officer. minute is being done to compact or monitor the number of police beatings and evidence shows that racial and ethnic minorities were disproportionately harmed by harassment, verbal and physical abuse, and false arrests. (Lendman n.p.). Unfortunately, police send packing use excessive force anywhere and for whatever reason. Different causes of police brutality are more common land in some places than others. California, New York, Florida an d Texas see the most cases of police misconduct.Police brutality is mostly caused by hatred for another race or at times an individual person but the elderly, women, students, and elected officials deport become victims as well because of their weakness and vulnerability. Police bedevil attacked people in university libraries, in public meetings, and in their own homes. Federal records do show a large majority of police brutality cases are left unresolved where police are not prosecuted. (Rockwell n.p.). Its affect to know civilians, who witness police brutality, are so intimated by police for the fear of retaliation they dont intervene to stop police brutality. Police who impart brutality are most likely to commit perjury as well. Police pull up stakes most likely lie on the stand to prevent any lawsuits against them or the department they choke for. The most common form of perjury made by police is they say the Miranda rights were read to an individual when they really hadnt been.However, there are decent cops who truly recall a guilty individual will go free un little they lie on the stand to help put the criminal to justice. When police are investigated about incidents involving beatings or shootings, many cases show the actions of the police were unjustified. Police usually get a slap on the hand (no suspension/mild discipline) or get off sanely easy (probation) when it comes to punishments they should be held more accountable, for instance, being guilty of a serious misconduct. Meaningful disciplinary action for police officers should be just as stern and dealt with in a very similar stylus as any other civilians punishment would. The public is habituated very little information if the case doesnt make it to running game so therefore the abuse stays hidden and police abuse continues. Police misconducts should be taken more seriously because cops are held to a higher standard and have made a stipulation to protect and serve our country.Did you know that, in 2009, only 33% of police officers that were charged misconduct went through to conviction? Only 64% were convicted and received prison sentences. And an astonishing 14 months is the average length of time a police officer spends in prison. (Injustice Everywhere n.p.). Depending on what their actions and misconducts are, some should be either fired, prosecuted or their peace officer license taken away. If they are unable to h obsolete up their end of the bargain of the promise they made to our country then they should simply find another job. Alvin F. Poussaint, M.D. is an associate prof of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He believes there are two main reasons that police officers have no problem with brutalizing people or witnessing them being beaten. The first reason is many officers get caught up in slogans such as state of war on Crime or War on Drugs they begin to see themselves as warriors in battle where the adversary becomes the objective.The other reas on is because the large amount of negativity policemen face and the number of bad people they are confronted with results in police making generalizations that take on racial tone. Police then feel people should be punished for who they are and what they represent. (Massaquoi n.p.). Although congress passed a Police Accountability subprogram in 1994, they failed to fund it. On top of that, the decree doesnt control police departments to provide data to the justice department nor are they call for to keep any records. They dont punish police wildness or excessive force as human rights violations either. (Lendman n.p.). Police brutality is illegal and a violation of our civil rights that is protected by the fall in States Constitution. Recent studies show that since the attack on September 11, 2001 some police felt the use of excessive force was necessary so they began targeting individuals of middle-eastern or Islamic backgrounds.Although they thought or believed it was necessa ry to use excessive force doesnt make their decision right because nobody is above the law, including police officers. Racial profiling as well as discrimination appears to be the leading causes of police brutality in America today. Decades of racial discrimination, unequal urban planning, and failed labor policies have left Afri erect Americans jobless and trapped in poor neighborhoods. Once they are trapped, they rarely get opportunities needed to rise above poverty and have hardly a(prenominal) demonstrable role models so they feel they have no other choices but to turn to gangs and the life of crime so they can extend to a sense of belonging, protection, and money. Racial profiling is described as singling out any individuals or classifys as potential suspects in a crime because of their race or ethnicity. Most victims that are subject to racial profiling are African Americans, Latino Americans, homosexuals, religious extremists and younger men.For example, if a police of ficer stops a young down(p) man go down the street or pulls him over while driving because they are viewed as commonly involved in drug crimes, stopping Hispanics cuddle the Mexican border because illegal immigrants travel specific routes or Arab planer passengers because Moslem groups have committed acts of terrorism are all acts of racial profiling. This commonly occurs in traffic stops, city streets, high shipway, schools, and are most common in California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, and Texas. Racial profiling is so controversial these days because minority groups feel victimized by their race, ethnicity or national origin rather than their behavior. Although only small parts of groups participate in illegal activities, racial profiling treats eachone of that group as suspects. some other way people interpret at it is based on the known information about group characteristics of those involved in crimes it helps the police identify a young black man in a high crime orbit, a Hispanic man near the Mexican border or a Muslim man in the airport who may be a bane to innocent individuals. Evidence shows that racial minorities are systematically victimized, without cause, in public, when driving, at work, at home, in places of worship, and traveling, often violently. Agencies designed to ban federal officers from lovable in racial profiling is, in fact, flawed and does little to end it, because it doesnt cover profiling based on religion, religious appearance, or national origin. A major impediment to (prohibiting it) remains the continued unwillingness or inability of the US government to pass federal legislation (banning the practice) with binding effect on federal, state or local law enforcement. (Lendman n.p.).Racial profiling is a violation of our Constitutional Rights but police departments either encourage it, does little or nothing about it or, believe it or not, believ e its necessary. Preventing police brutality is an ongoing inclination in America. Its hard to find a balance amidst laws designed to protect individuals and police officers. One way to help reduce police brutality is to help address a bad situation when you witness one arise. This can be dangerous so a person should take precautionary measures as necessary. The best way to keep ourselves against police brutality is to stay away from any situations where police may be involved. If a person happens to become involved in a situation where a cop is using excessive force, the person should not retaliate because that will only cause the situation to become more dangerous and a doable accumulation of unwanted charges may occur.If they are taken into custody, they should contact an attorney as soon as possible and make sure to write down as many flesh out about the incident they can remember so if the incident goes to greet they have the appropriate documentation. There are two amend ments of the U.S. Constitution that protect civilians against police brutality. The Fifth Amendment states that a person cannot be forced to act as a witness against himself, or be deprived of life, acquaintance or property without cod process. In other words, an officer cannot force an individual to commit a crime, nor can an individual be incarcerated without due process. The fourteenth amendment adds that no person under the jurisdiction of the United States can be deprived of the protection of the law. (Langsted n.p.).Diop Kamau is a 52 year old former police officer who, for the last two decades, has made a career recording police abuse in the California area because of the mistreatment his father encountered in 1987 by another California department. Although he is sensitive he is not very popular with many police departments, he continues to bring public accountability for local law enforcement into the public eye by videotaping and using microphones to test the racial tend encies of the local police. Police contestation if the videos are serving the public interest or if it is putting officers lives in danger and setting the foundation for the public not to trust law enforcement. In some cases police say they are afraid to react to a situation because they think they will get in trouble for something they thought they did in good faith, which could actually cause serious safety issues and concerns for police and civilians.There are two sides to every story and then there is the faithfulness. These video recordings have helped sort the truth in many controversial cases between police officers and the accusers. Usually the police officers get the benefit of the doubt because they have made a promise to protect and serve our country but with the rising amount of police brutality in America today, these videos help settle cases of police misconduct. These videos can also help protect police officers against false accusations of mistreatment as well.not only can they help protect the public and police officers in difficult situations, it shows how officers and employees interact with the public. This can help suggest possible ways for police officers to improve their interactions with the public and to retrain their employees in a positive manor. Kamau says, Video is making victims more credible. If Rodney King would have tried to tell his story without video, nobody would have believed it. (Policeabuse.com n.p.).There are many police crimes caught on tape that can easily be viewed on the internet. either you have to do is go to http//www.policecrimes.com/ to read about the horrendous stories affix or you can also search for video footage on http//www.youtube.com/ by typing police brutality in the search engine. There is also a National Police Misconduct News Feed website, www.injusticeeverywhere.com, which allows the public to review daily recaps of police misconduct in the U.S. America has every right to know what kinds of act ions police are victorious that violate peoples rights. On the contrary, law enforcement experts believe the openness of police brutality in the public will group all cops as being mean and unprofessional when this is not necessarily the case. There are dedicated police officers that put their lives on the line to protect us from harm. Mediation introduces rising opportunities for police accountability as well.An officer participating in mediation is directly accountable to the citizen who filed the complaint. This enables the police officer to take full responsibility for their actions. It also enhances positive changes in police subculture. The experience of mediation between the police officer and complainant and the luck to learn how ones actions affect one another, people may eventually have an effect on the police subculture. (Walker, Archbold, and Herbst n.p.). The best way to reduce police brutality is for the police departments to admit there is an ongoing problem with p olice abuse and that it does truly exist. Its just as important for the community to stand up for the fight against police brutality. Another way is to increase the training and education in the recruitment new police officers.Instead of hiring high school graduates, they should be required to have a college degree. A police department should also have a good leader in the department to guide police officers to do the right thing. Officers that live in the same city they are work in helps tremendously because they are aware of the mores of the society they reside. If a police officer is unaware of their surroundings, they can have trouble reacting to situations they havent experienced before. Acknowledgement of the law and civil rights can help civilians eliminate what is right from wrong when it comes to treatment by police officers. Police brutality in the U.S., racial profiling, the prevention of abuse, and what we can do to protect ourselves and each other against police bruta lity are important views to be aware of that lead us to understand what we can do to help reduce these inhumane acts in our society.Police brutality and racial profiling have been continuous issues that have been around for hundreds of years, after slavery ended and it still continues to happen today. The knowledge of why and where its happening and the understanding of goals towards a better police accountability system can help Americans come together to create a peaceful and less violent society. It also teaches us how protect ourselves and each other against the inhumane acts by police officers if we are ever faced with such an dispossessed event. Being a police officer is a perilous duty where police are put in dangerous situations sometimes and excessive force is needed. Although police are able to use excessive force there are many police officers who abuse their power and privileges.Many officers use extreme measures when it deems unnecessary which results in police brutal ity or even death. Police brutality has been in the public view for quite some time but not much has been done about it because most evidence either gets covered up or disregarded. While citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, they must also keep an eye on those who are trained to protect and serve our country. It may have taken for eye witnesses and their video cameras to capture the mistreatment of civilians of police brutality going on in the U.S, especially towards African Americans, but at least the problem is now being acknowledged and brought to the publics attention instead of just being swept under a rug.People want the protection of police without having their rights violated along with the prevention of crime. There are many changes that occur as time goes on as far as laws, policies, people, attitudes, generations, beliefs and so on. The operations of police departments should be among the changes. We, as a nation, need to come together to prevent our families, friends and early generations from becoming a victim of police brutality. The past does not have to be the future so lets take criminal justice more seriously so we can continue on towards the goal of having peace on earth.Works Cited Page, ed. For cops, citizen videos bring change magnitude scrutiny.Policeabuse.com. USA Today, 01012012. Web. 6 Apr 2012., ed. National Police Misconduct NewsFeed Daily reprize 04-05-12. Injustice Everywhere. Injustice Everywhere, 040512. Web. 6 Apr 2012.Deutsch, Linda. Police tape You just had a big-time use of force. THE OREGONIAN. The Associated Press, 03191991. Web. 6 Apr 2012.Langsted, Evan. Questions about Police Brutality.Articlesbase. Articlesbase, 08242009. Web. 6 Apr 2012.Lendman, Stephen. Police Brutality in America. Baltimore Chronicle & Sentinel. The Baltimore News Network, 07132010. Web. 6 Apr 2012.Massaquoi, Hans. How to stop police brutality includes 12 steps to solving problem of police brutality. care Library. Ebony, 040 62012. Web. 6 Apr 2012.Rockwell, Lew. Quick Facts US police brutality. YOU.S DESK. Press TV, 12172011. Web. 6 Apr 2012.Walker, Samuel, chant Archbold, and Leigh Herbst. U.S Department of Justice. Mediating Citizen Complaints Against Police Officers A Guide For Police and Community Leaders. Department of Criminal Justice, 08022002. Web. 6 Apr 2012.