Police Brutality and Excessive Force

Paper Summary:

Police brutality is defined as the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers. This paper discusses how police brutality has existed as long has law enforcement has been around and how many different tactics to prevent it have been instituted. In particular, the paper looks at the public's perception that police misuse and abuse their power, citing the Chicago disturbance of 1919 and the Los Angeles riots following the controversial Rodney King trial as examples.

From the Paper:

"There are many different reasons to why police brutality exists, one of them which is commonly used by police departments, is the "bad apple paradigm". This reason for brutality is often used by departments because it alleviates most of their responsibility for the brutality because they can simply blame that individual and say that it is an isolated incident caused by a bad apple. Criminologist and Author David Friedrich once said "Police work is likely to attract at least some individuals who enjoy bullying others or join the force with the intention of exploiting special opportunities to enrich themselves. At one time this was the most widely accepted cause of police brutality, but within recent years, research has proven otherwise. Profiles of officers that had used excessive force were examined by psychologists and what was discovered, is that there was such a wide range of profiles that it did not support the 'bad apple' stereotype."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Sheila Fitzgerald. Police Brutality Detroit : Greenhaven Press/Thomson Gale, c2007.
• Champion, Dean J. Police Misconduct in America : A Reference Handbook Santa Barbara, Calif. : ABC-CLIO, c2001.
• Swanson, Charles, Neil Chamelin, Leonard Territo. Criminal Investigation McGraw-Hill Copyright 2003
• Cothran, Helen. Police Brutality: Opposing Viewpoints San Diego, CA. Greenhaven Press, 2001
• Chevigny, Paul. Edge of the Knife: Police Violence in the Americas New York: New Press, 1995.

More papers on Police Brutality and Excessive Force:

• Research Paper # 62632 : "Police Brutality"
• Term Paper # 97331 : "Police Brutality"
• Term Paper # 18817 : "Police Brutality: An Overview"

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