Police Brutality :: The American Critic

Police Brutality

by ChrisT
December 5th, 2007 at 2:14 PM
Filed under: Health

Police Brutality

Police brutality is defined as the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats made by police officers and other law enforcement officers where he or she feels because he or she has a badge and gun, it puts him or her above the law and can use unnecessary force against another individual. It is a widespread problem that has affected society for hundreds of years. The New testament records many incidents where Roman guards inflicted unwarranted violence on the Christian Community. Police Brutality is not a new issue, but it has recently become popular due to the current cases that have occurred within the past two decades.
One example includes the University of Florida student who was tasered at the John Kerry speech. After asking the former presidential candidate a few questions, police grabbed the student by the arms, and began escorting him out of the room. After resisting arrest, police restrained the student and tasered him three times before taking him into custody. Another example includes a UCLA student tasered by the University Officers. After refusing to show the officers his ID in a random security check, police escorted him out of the room, after tasing him multiple times for not standing up. The most prominent example would be the beating of Rodney King by multiple police officers. On March 3, 1991, after a high speed car chase, Rodney King was surrounded by over a dozen police officers. Four of which, brutally assaulted him, while the others watched. The beating was caught on tape, which shows officers beating him with batons as well as kicking the victim in his head and legs. The case led to riots in Los Angelas after the officers were acquitted of all charges. The riots lasted several days and was though to be one of the worst civil disturbance in Los Angelas causing over a billion dollars in damage.
These are just a few examples of police brutality that have happened within our society. Police have been questioned about why there is so much of this happening, and some respond that they were just doing their job, and they are under a great deal of pressure. Yet according to the New York commissioner of police, the average police officer is never going to draw his gun during his entire career. There are two main reasons why some police offers have no problem brutalizing others and watching them be brutalized. That is that too many of them are caught up in politically inspired slogans such as â��War on Terrorâ�� and â��War on Drugsâ�� and see themselves as warriors in battle where the destruction of the enemy is more important that their apprehension. They develop an â��usâ�� and â��themâ�� attitude. They see the victim as subhuman and therefore believe that it is alright to treat them cruelly. The other reason is that too many police officers are exposed to the same situations everyday. They begin to make generalizations about their victims and frequently their generalizations seem to take on a racial tone.
In the United States, investigation of cases involving police brutality is left up to internal police commissions and district attorneys. They have been often criticized for a lack of accountability and for bias favoring the police officers, declaring that the officers actions were within department rules. For example, a study focusing on the Chicago Police Department conducted in April of 2007 found that out of 10,000 complaints of police abuse, only 19 resulted in meaningful action. The main reason these tyrants are being defended can be attributed to the â��Blue Code of Silenceâ��. An unwritten code of honor among police officers in which reporting another officers misconduct is regarded as betrayal. With such codes in effect, it is very difficult to bring these guilty officers to justice.
In conclusion, police brutality is a very important and widespread problem that has affected society for many years. It is caused by a police officer who feels that he or she is above that law and can do as they feel. There have been many murders, beatings, and other cruel acts that have been attributed to police brutality. Although there is no direct solution to this problem, it is important that as a society, we come together to remedy this travesty.