...Allegations of the use of excessive force by U.S. police departments continue to generate headlines more than two decades after the 1992 Los Angeles riots brought the issue to mass public attention and spurred some law enforcement reforms. On Staten Island, N.Y., the July 2014 death of Eric Garner because of the apparent use of a “chokehold” by an officer sparked outrage. A month later in Ferguson, Mo., the fatal shooting of teenager Michael Brown by officer Darren Wilson ignited protests, and a grand jury’s decision not to indict Wilson triggered further unrest. In November, Tamir Rice was shot by police in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 12 years old and playing with a toy pistol. On April 4, 2015, Walter L. Scott was shot by a police officer after a routine traffic stop in North Charleston, S.C. The same month, Freddie Gray died while in police custody in Baltimore, setting off widespread unrest. The policeman in the South Carolina case, Michael T. Slager, was charged with murder based on a cellphone video. In Baltimore, the driver of the police van in which Gray died, Caesar Goodson, was charged with second-degree murder, with lesser charges for five other officers. There have been no indictments in the earlier cases. These follow other recent incidents and controversies, including an April 2014 finding by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), following a two-year investigation, that the Albuquerque, N.M., police department “engages in a pattern or practice of use of excessive...
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...Police Brutality DeVry University Police Brutality Is it fair that law enforcement officers can use brute force to serve and protect the people of the United States? Police officers are here to protect and serve the people of this great country, however in some cases police officers abuse their power and their force and it becomes police brutality. Throughout its history the United States has seen many cases of police brutality against minorities. It is a very controversial topic among communities especially those in which minorities reside. Police Brutality is one of the most serious human rights violations in the United States. Police have to face many dangerous situations every day, they have to expect the worst and hope for the best while making split-second decisions. Being a police officer comes with the power of being able to take any citizens rights away, they also have the power to take someone’s life. We have to rely on those police officers own discretion when it comes to deciding the amount of force or sometimes lethal force when handling suspects. Police Brutality though it may not be a large predicament it should be viewed by both the police and the community. Police brutality is a hypocrisy, we are taught at a young age to believe that police officers are here to protect us from harm and keep us safe, not to harm us and cause us to fear them more than we do the criminals they are supposed to protect us from. We need to make sure police officers are properly...
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...it it’s all the same thing, and it has been around for years. Lately racial discrimination has been greatly decreased, yet not completely eradicated. One would think that the last place there wouldn’t be a single shred of any discrimination in law enforcement, however, there is and the fact that there is racial discrimination makes for some very controversial cases; such as the case of the shooting of Michael Brown, the brutal beating of Rodney King, and the wrongful beating of Abner Louima. All of these incidents happened because of an unfair percentage that police are to show more brutality to a minority group than to whites and there are plenty of facts that support this such as the amount of white officers over colored ones, and the biases and stereotypes that are to blame for “racism” in law enforcement. The case of Michael Brown in Fergusson, Missouri a predominantly black society, with a predominantly white police force, there are multiple stories that both tell stories of what people saw. One account states that the teenager Michael Brown had his hands in the air and was surrendering whilst unarmed; the officer opened fire and killed him. However, what the authorities say is the exact opposite in which Michael Brown actually attempted to attack the officer in his car and tried to take the gun. "Get the f*** on the sidewalk." The young men replied that they were "not but a minute away from our destination, and we would shortly be out of the street," Johnson said. The officer...
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...manipulating race: Perceptions of police brutality in an arrest: A research note. Justice Quarterly, 14(3), 577-586. Levin gather information from Northeastern University. Levin set up an experiment in order to discover the effects of race of the law enforcement on opinions of police brutality. Levin provided three videotapes, each showing a black male suspect being arrested by two different race police officers. One version of the tape then was watched by each randomly assigned subject, 28 white and 33 black Northeastern University students. Both black and white subjects were significantly more likely to see violence and illegality when both arresting officers were white. The outcome points...
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...Assignment 2 Police Brutality Police abuse continues to be one of the most serious and harsh human rights violations in minority communities. However, it is particularly interesting that such violence and viciousness by police officials has managed to go unnoticed within the justice system and overlooked for so long. Police officers have too much control and power and they sometimes abuse their authority. The excessive use of force used by police officers continues because of barriers of immunity which make it possible for officers who commit such brutal acts to escape punishment and often to repeat their offenses. Police brutality is a serious problem and if this barbarity by police officers is allowed to continue, the citizens in these communities will not only need protection from criminals, but the police that are recruited to protect and serve our communities. In recent months, citizens in urban communities worry about protecting themselves from criminals and now have to keep an attentive focus on those who are there to protect and serve. Police brutality not only affects the officer involved, the victim of the beating and those who witness the incident, but the minority community as a whole. It changes the way communities and the individual citizens view police officers and the authority they uphold. Often these citizens are unsure of the rights they have against such cruel acts of violence which forces them to endure excessive force and the thin line that police officers...
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...The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Police Brutality. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 in a very important part of civil rights legislation in America. The Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination based on religion, race, sex, color or national origin. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 stopped unequal requirements for voter registration and segregation in schools, the workplace and any other facility that provided services to the general public. The enforcement of the act was weak at the beginning, but strengthened over the years. Congress utilized its power to legislate under various parts of the Constitution, namely the duty to guarantee all citizens equal protections (Wright, 2005). The Civil Rights Act was initiated by President John F. Kennedy during...
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...English 1020 21 March 2016 Police Brutality The job of a police officer is to serve and protect their community and country, but some don’t see it this way and fail to do their job in an appropriate matter. Some take the law in their own hands and want to enforce punishment where punishment shouldn’t be enforced. These officers use their authority to take advantage of sometimes innocent people to have fun or to just prove a point. Police brutality is a big problem in today’s society which is caused by and contributes too many factors such as racism, incarceration, racial profiling, fear, and lack of training. What is police brutality and how has it become a problem in today’s society? Police Brutality is...
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...Megan LiBritz Extra Credit Police abuse remains one of the most serious human rights violations in the United States. Over the past decade, police have acted out in ways that have made people wonder “are our officers of the law really doing their job?” Unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal choking’s, and rough treatment have all contributed to the ever-present problem of police brutality in America. One of the major social problems that became more prevalent this year in the U.S. is police brutality. Widespread police brutality also exists in many countries, even those that prosecute it. Police brutality is the deliberate use of excessive force, usually physical, carried out during law enforcement activities with the population. This type of behavior also includes verbal attacks and psychological intimidation by a police officer. Police brutality has existed since the era of slavery but it seems these days, it is getting worse. There have been hundreds of cases of police brutality and the media isn’t shy to expose the stories. Such excessive force by police is particularly disturbing given its disproportionate impact on people of color. This then leads society to blame police brutality merely on racism. One contributing factor has become extremely evident since the 1960’s, that factor is race. Police have subjected minorities to apparently discriminatory treatment and have physically abused minorities while using racial slurs. The most notable racial profiling occurs...
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...and the Police Part 1: Outline Sharon Upshaw CJA/344 May 17, 2016 Diana Mitchell Ethnicity and the Police Part 1: Outline POLICE CORRUPTION IN THE UNITED STATES Police misconduct is rising throughout the United States regardless of the Department of Justice attempts of interventions. These interventions are not only to improve the training of officers but also to build a better relationship and trust of the community. Why is there a huge spike in police brutality since the Obama administration if the U.S. department of Justice is monitoring the police agencies? I. Police corruption within law enforcement agencies A. Racial profiling 1. Illegal search and seizure 2. African American and Latino’s 3. Driving while black B. Complaints by citizens relative to ethnicity 1. Harassment in minority communities 2. Excessive use of force 3. Deadly force II. Police brutality among minorities are high A. Bureau of Justice Statistic 1. Ethnic groups perception of police 2. Civil Rights violations B. Deaths of civilians by police use of excessive force 1. Black lives matter 2. Ban of choke holds III. All states needs racial profiling laws A. NAACP Reports that twenty states do not have this law 1. Data collection of police stop and seizure 2. DOJ to revised a new guide on racial profiling B. Mistrust of police grows in minority communities 1. Unfair treatment by police ...
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...In 1998, Amnesty International stated “Human rights aren’t just a foreign affair.” Human rights violations towards minority communities in the United States existed before 1998 and persist into the twenty first century, spurring distrust amongst people of color. Perpetrators of these violations are often those charged with protection: the police. A report by Amnesty International in the same year detailed police using lethal and unnecessary force towards predominately black and Hispanic people (Terence Fitzgerald). Sixteen years later, the death of a black teenager, Michael Brown, at the hands of a policeman, sparked national outrage. The phrase coined, “Hands up, don’t shoot,” addressed the presumption of guilt that exists towards people...
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...what police brutality is defined as(Police Brutality). The term “police brutality” has been used since 1872 when the Chicago Tribune reported the beating of a civilian that was under arrest. There have been countless cases where unarmed African Americans have been shot or physically harmed to the extent where they are killed when the citizen is unarmed. The police force is supposed to make America feel protected and should enforce the nation’s law. Officers should be prime examples for the youth of the nation. Throughout the years it seems police has especially targeted minorities. Citizens are being mistreated because of wrongful assumptions made by police officers. Police...
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...Police brutality in America is an everyday truth of life. The issue posed by the illegal exercise of police power is a current reality for individuals of color and class. Like the Patrick Lee case, a twenty-one-year-old who was allegedly acting in a strange manner, the officers decided to tasered him nineteen times, spray him with pepper spray and beaten with batons to death for resisting arrest. The jury found that the police did not use excessive force in this case and lawyers said that they (police officers) had done their best with the tools they were given. Another victim was Sean Bell; he was killed by the NYPD when his car was shot at fifty times because they saw a gun inside the car. These two men that were shot at by the police have...
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...Police Misconduct and its Social Impact Can Better Police Training result in a decrease of Police Brutality against minorities? A research paper submitted advocating the issues among police agencies in North America. This paper analyzes the protocol that determines the appropriate procedures for a safer community for the victimized minorities through use -of- force incidents. HSB4U1 December 11/12/2015 Summative Report Mrs. Kim By: Julianne Silva Table of Contents Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………Pg. 3 Chapter one: Police Issues American CCPSA Fixing Problems…………………………………………………………Pg. 4 America’s Flawed System……………………………………………………………………Pg. 6 Controlling the Police…………………………………………………………………………Pg. 7 Chapter two: Police Solutions The Debate over Body Cameras…………………………………………………………….Pg. 9 Changing Policies and Regulations...……………………………………………………….Pg. 10 Chapter Three: Community and Behaviour Police Subculture……………………………………………………………………………….Pg.12 Impact on Minorities…………………………………………………………………………….Pg.12 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………….Pg.14 Works Cited………………………………………………………………………………………Pg.15 Appendix A: Julianne Silva Survey Summary………………………………………………..Pg.17 Appendix B-1: ………………………………………………………………………………….... Appendix B-2……………………………………………………………………………………... Introduction One of the most controversial topics in police enforcement throughout history has been the issue between racial minorities and the misconduct of police officials...
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...Allegations of excessive force by police departments in the United States have continued to generate large media coverage across the nation. After the Rodney King incident in 1991, public outcry regarding the use of excessive force was thrown into public view causing reform in law enforcement. As the years continued, incidents of police brutality have continued to plague the nation. In the state of Ferguson, the fatal shooting of Michael Brown occured at the hands of officer, Darren Wilson, which set off giant unrest and protests within their communities. In addition, Eric Garner, a citizen of New York, was also killed by a local officer through the use of a brutal “chokehold” sparking even more outrage. Countless cases of police brutality...
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...Ethics in Policing Darlene Freeman CRIJ 5322 Introduction This paper explains issues that shape the role of ethics in policing. Police ethics involves hard choices as well as avoiding violations of basic moral standards. Police officers inevitably face ethical issues when it comes to what’s right or wrong. The authority that police officer are given to protect the public presents the temptation to abuse the power that’s given to them. This paper will explain the rule- of-law and how it represents societal standards that define police duties and responsibilities. Police officers are given a significant amount of discretion simply due to the nature of their job. Officers are faced with many threatening situations forcing them to react quickly yet appropriately. They have the power to infringe upon any citizen’s rights to freedom and therefore must use their power effectively. One major concern with a number of discretion officers have is their power to decide when to use force or when to use lethal force (Lee, Lim, Moore, & Kim, 2013) Additionally, public perception of policing will be discussed, police brutality and due process within the criminal justice system. Accountability is one of the most important components when it comes to public perception of police officers. When officers begin to use force to control the community, citizens began to review officers as authority figures instead of protecting and serving the community. This results in a breakdown...
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