Police misconduct and abuse the authority has persisted since the beginning of policing. Without police officers we would live in a violent, un-organized country, and we would have to personally protect ourselves. Officers risk their lives everyday to save ours. Although, some officers use more force than legally acceptable to protect themselves. If an officer feels as though his or her life is in danger, it is acceptable to use a legal amount of force to handcuff and detain the criminal. The role of a police officer is to arrest, not to kill.
There's a thin line between what is, and what isn’t an acceptable amount of force. In some cases, the power of their authority goes to their heads and it’s pretty easy for a police officer to get away with brutality. The notion of police covering for one another’s misconduct twists the role of law-enforcement in a free society.
Officer’s in the Texas police foundation were given this scenario on an unruly suspect:
“An officer has a handcuffed suspect at his desk while he fills out the necessary paperwork. With no provocation from the officer, the suspect suddenly spits in the face of the oficer. The officer immediately pushes the suspect in the face causing the suspect to fall from the chair onto the floor.” They were asked, how serious do you consider the officers behavior to be? 35.8% of the officers said that the behavior was quite serious, and 37% said that this type of behavior was not serious at all. To conclude, there's a pretty equal percentages between, yes, the officer did the right thing and that he didn’t. Personally, I don’t believe there’s really was a need to push the suspect. The officer is not in danger because the suspect is in handcuffs therefore there should not be any type of force done on the suspect. Yes, the suspect was unruly, but their are other punishments that could be enforced on the suspect that are not physical.
The most recent police brutality incidents were the murders of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. The ratio between white cops and african american people in certain areas lead people to assume that both of these deaths were acts of racism. When a situation like this happens in a considerably African American area, people are going to protest. There have been countless protest all around America to spread awareness on police brutality and to recognize the deaths of these people. The best way to help prevent abuse of authority, is knowing your rights. Everyone needs to know the appropriate way to deny questioning if they have done nothing illegal. Everyone has a right to remain silent. Being calm and cool is key to getting the best possible outcome, it’s enough to keep police from abusing your constitutional rights. What not many people know, but police know all too well, its that your constitutional rights only apply to you if you understand and assert them. Police are trained to lower your confidence, they can create a sense of hopelessness for the suspect, by reminding you that things will go easier if you cooperate.
To conclude, police brutality is a growing issue in today’s society. It is our generation's chance to now make a change for the best. Know your rights and spread awareness. Stay thankful for police because their job is to protect us and they are especially needed in America. Police brutality needs to end in order to maintain a healthy society.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/police-brutality/
http://www.democracynow.org/topics/police_brutality
http://www.policebrutality.info/
There's a thin line between what is, and what isn’t an acceptable amount of force. In some cases, the power of their authority goes to their heads and it’s pretty easy for a police officer to get away with brutality. The notion of police covering for one another’s misconduct twists the role of law-enforcement in a free society.
Officer’s in the Texas police foundation were given this scenario on an unruly suspect:
“An officer has a handcuffed suspect at his desk while he fills out the necessary paperwork. With no provocation from the officer, the suspect suddenly spits in the face of the oficer. The officer immediately pushes the suspect in the face causing the suspect to fall from the chair onto the floor.” They were asked, how serious do you consider the officers behavior to be? 35.8% of the officers said that the behavior was quite serious, and 37% said that this type of behavior was not serious at all. To conclude, there's a pretty equal percentages between, yes, the officer did the right thing and that he didn’t. Personally, I don’t believe there’s really was a need to push the suspect. The officer is not in danger because the suspect is in handcuffs therefore there should not be any type of force done on the suspect. Yes, the suspect was unruly, but their are other punishments that could be enforced on the suspect that are not physical.
The most recent police brutality incidents were the murders of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. The ratio between white cops and african american people in certain areas lead people to assume that both of these deaths were acts of racism. When a situation like this happens in a considerably African American area, people are going to protest. There have been countless protest all around America to spread awareness on police brutality and to recognize the deaths of these people. The best way to help prevent abuse of authority, is knowing your rights. Everyone needs to know the appropriate way to deny questioning if they have done nothing illegal. Everyone has a right to remain silent. Being calm and cool is key to getting the best possible outcome, it’s enough to keep police from abusing your constitutional rights. What not many people know, but police know all too well, its that your constitutional rights only apply to you if you understand and assert them. Police are trained to lower your confidence, they can create a sense of hopelessness for the suspect, by reminding you that things will go easier if you cooperate.
To conclude, police brutality is a growing issue in today’s society. It is our generation's chance to now make a change for the best. Know your rights and spread awareness. Stay thankful for police because their job is to protect us and they are especially needed in America. Police brutality needs to end in order to maintain a healthy society.
Sources:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/police-brutality/
http://www.democracynow.org/topics/police_brutality
http://www.policebrutality.info/