The Issues of Police Brutality in the United States

The Police are supposed to be some of our greatest protectors, but how far is overstepping the boundary? Some corrupt officers of the law choose to use their power in a cruel and devastating way. Citizens are at the mercy of the police whom they should trust to treat them fairly and respectfully, however this is not always the case. Law Enforcement officers are given a great deal of respect, trust, power, and many more privileges than the average civilian. When their power is abused through acts of brutality and misconduct, their trust is severely violated and justice everywhere is threatened.

Police Brutality is a form of police misconduct in which officers utilize an excessive or unnecessary use of force (policecrimes.com).

It is not always physical however; police brutality may also refer to verbal abuse of psychological intimidation. There are many ways police brutality or misconduct can manifest itself, but it basically boils down to police acting in a way that disregards their duty and violates the rights of citizens.

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Officers are expected to uphold good character and moral judgment, more so than most citizens. Honesty, integrity, honor, respect, and courage are all core values that they are expected to maintain. Unfortunately, these standards are meaningless when officers choose to take advantage of citizens with their power. Some cases of brutality are so severe that they received widespread media attention throughout the country.

One of the most infamous involves Rodney King. On March 3, 1991, Rodney King was speeding on the freeway in Los Angeles and was ordered to pull over by police officers, but he traveled for eight miles before finally stopping his vehicle.

When he got out of the vehicle, King was severely beaten by officers. They hit him 56 times with batons and kicked him 6 times, leaving him with eleven skull fractures, brain damage, and kidney damage. A bystander witnessed the beating and captured it on videotape (Smith). In reference to police brutality, Rodney King stated, "It's happening right now... it's just not on film, it's not being recorded". This is only one example of the horrors that can be inflicted by our very own law enforcement.

Another shocking event that caused much controversy was the shooting of Amadou Diallo. Four New York Police Officers passed Diallo and thought he matched the description of a serial rapist, so they approached him. Diallo fled from the officers and ran towards his apartment, ignoring their orders to stop and show his hands. He then reached in his jacket and withdrew his wallet, which the officers believed was a gun. The officers then opened fire on the unarmed man, firing forty-one shots, nineteen of which hit Diallo. Amadou Diallo died immediately and the investigation discovered no weapons on his body (Roleff 46). These examples demonstrate the despicable tragedy that can occur at the hands of our police force.

One may wonder how these officers get a way with such behavior and why it occurs in the first place. Police work is dangerous and situations on the street can escalate quickly, and many times force is necessary to control a situation. But only rarely are police disciplined as a result of misbehavior or brutality (Smith). This may be because it can be difficult to prove, which partially relies on the vagueness of the term "excessive force". Proving exactly how much force is necessary to control a situation is a difficult task, and oftentimes the justice system is more willing to trust a police officer than a civilian. It is easy for police to justify these situations.

David Mangan explains some of the complications of police brutality and it's similarity to the actions of common criminals: Another similarity between the police and professional thieves is that both choose victims that will not fight back or that will result in less detection (Sutherland, 1949:236237). In most cases police brutality has been directed toward minorities, the poor, political dissidents, and members of the counterculture (Friedrichs, 1996:141). Complaints against an officer are not easily filed. In most jurisdictions a victim cannot file a complaint unless a prosecutor passes the review. Also, the court will apply greater weight to an officers testimony than to that of a suspected criminal (Roleff 101).

The most important step in preventing police brutality is to identify it when it occurs. Sometimes corrupt and abusive police practices continues simply because no one has ever questioned them. Identifying the specific police problems in one's city is a crucial step in addressing them. Policing has seen much progress recently and complaints have declined over the past few years. The unnecessary use of force among police officers is not only a great violation of trust and honor, but a major threat to society. It is difficult for justice to prevail when the supposed enforcers of justice are destroying it. Citizens need to take a stand to protect their rights and police brutality needs to be punished harshly. A sincere problem is occurring when innocent people die because the criminal nature of some of our own police officers. As Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”.