This paper analyzes the issue of policebrutality while also discussing the role of the media in depicting cases of unwarranted excessive force on the part of law enforcement officers.
Abstract This paper examines the use of excessive police force primarily among minorities. This paper discusses the various reasons excessive force not only occurs but continues to grow at an alarming rate. This paper contains data and statistics relevant to this particular topic. This paper discusses the issue of policebrutality from the point of view of law enforcement officers who insist that excessive force is used in less than 1% of contacts with civilians and suspects. This paper also delves into this issue from the point of view of African-Americans who contend that policebrutality is significantly higher than the claims made by law enforcement officers. The writer analyzes the systematic biases that are present when debating this controversial topic. This paper discusses the fact that officers are rarely convicted for improper use of violence which indirectly contributes to this growing problem. This paper examines the role of the media in depicting policebrutality while also detailing the case of Tyisha Miller, a young black woman killed by police in California.
Table of Contents:
A National Pattern
Systemic Bias
Media Ownership
Works Cited
From the Paper "Many members of various minority groups feel that they are unfairly targeted, especially with regard to the use of excessive force and the differences that white and black residents ascribe to these incidents. In many cases, such as the cases of Wilson and Oregon, the incidents are sparked by non-violent offenses. In addition to fatal shootings, many police officers are also resorting to the use of TASER or stun guns, in situations which were previously resolved without the use of force. Statistics from the Orange County Sheriff's Office in Florida, for example, show a stunning increase in the use of TASERS. In 2000, there were only three reported uses of TASER guns. a mere two years later, that figure jumped to 295."
Abstract Policebrutality is defined as the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers. This paper discusses how policebrutality 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."
Abstract This paper discusses policebrutality and whether financial damages awarded equals justice. The paper further discusses the different degrees of brutality and the frequency of occurrence. The writer looks into the potential damages to public agencies and whether town, city and county governments face bankruptcy or financial ruin because of these judgments against them. In conclusion the paper examines whether this need to sue reflects problems in society and whether there is a cultural basis for it.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Purpose of the Study
Research Questions and Sub-Questions
Definition of PoliceBrutality Limitations of Study
Brief Review of Related Literature
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "Part of the problem is most aspects of police abuse, its data collection and lawsuits resulting for "police brutality" is inadequate. Some cities do not even distinguish amounts paid in cases of misconduct, including excessive force, from damages arising because of traffic accidents. This allows lack of concrete data just allows the trend to continue. Other information includes a myriad of police actions not even associated with misconduct or monetary judgments, rather they are completely different police matters somehow thrown in the mix. For instance the data collection at Atlanta's police department had no system intact and one wonders why the agency out of cities surveyed pays the most lawsuits."
Abstract This paper discusses that, many times, people are stopped for no reason and subjected to callous behavior at the hands of police officers; therefore, it is important for everyone to overcome his or her preconceived notions of different races in order to stop this despicable behavior. The author points out that the myths of black criminality are so embedded in the white psyche that it seems perfectly natural to many Americans that blacks are disproportionately stopped for traffic infractions, arrested for drug offenses, swept off the street for loitering, and sent to prison. The paper concludes that, although cases of policebrutality against Hispanics and African-Americans are capturing the attention of the public, these groups continue to face racial profiling.
Table of Contents
Introduction
History of Brutality Past Cases
Present Cases
Conclusion
From the Paper "New York City's police department has a history of racial abuse. Police officials there report a decrease in crime rates, however they often fail to mention that ?civilian complaints of police abuse has risen almost 40% since 1993 and the amount the city has paid to settle these claims has doubled.? Between 1997 and 1998, out of the 45,000 people detained, only 9,500 were arrested. This illustrates the point that over 35,000 people were stopped for no reason, most of whom were African American or Hispanic. Some of these innocent citizens have been the subjects of appalling ?cases of police brutality which has heightened resentment toward the police and concerns about the city's policing police."
Abstract "The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have an impact on law enforcement for years to come. The videotape of the beating, broadcast nationwide, resulted in public outrage over policebrutality. The City of Los Angeles appointed a special commission to investigate whether brutality was widespread within the police department.
From the Paper "The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have an impact on law enforcement for years to come. The videotape of the beating, broadcast nationwide, resulted in public outrage over police brutality. The City of Los Angeles appointed a special commission to investigate whether brutality was widespread within the police department. Police departments across the country likewise reviewed their own policies on excessive force. Despite these efforts, citizen complaints about police brutality have increased since the Rodney King beating.
Police are allowed to use force during the course of their daily activities. Force can be used to make arrests, maintain order, or keep the peace. The important thing is that the police officer is able to gain control of the situation. How the officer gains control is left up to his or her judgment: "In ..."
Abstract This paper presents an investigational analysis to determine how much force is considered excessive, thus qualifying as policebrutality and whether or not policebrutality is persisting unchecked within the United States. It validates the concept that police officers act more out of tyranny and excessive power than out of a genuine concern for the needs of the people.
From the Paper "Police brutality, or the excessive use of force by police officers to contain common citizens, is on the rise in the United States. More and more innocent victims are losing their lives as a result of police officers and agents that are under trained and trapped in an ancient mind-frame, which dictates that the role of the police officer is to capture the bad guy rather than protect the innocent citizen. Police officers working in agencies in modern society far too often feel the need to establish authority and superiority by harming citizens rather than by acting as guardians and representatives of the people of this country."
Abstract This paper gives a factual account of the development of police corruption to the peak it is at today. It speaks of the social contract by which police are to abide, remaining small and dedicated to preserving the safety and law of the land. However, explains the author, as time went on the police force came to be increasingly relied on as an instrument of political and racial power. Recently, policebrutality is especially directed to certain American racial and political minorities. This paper concludes that riots and outbursts against policebrutality from the minorities will continue until the government puts an end to police corruption.
From the Paper "America's founding fathers were militant revolutionaries. This nation was built upon social contract theory, the idea that the government exists by the will of the people and that they are obligated to obey only so long as that government operates in a moral fashion and in the best interests of its subjects. For many years the police forces of this nation followed the spirit of a social contract, remaining small and dedicated to preserving the safety and law of the land. However, as time went on the police force came to be increasingly relied on as an instrument of political and racial power. World War I saw the beginning of the police as an anti-protest and anti-civil rights weapon. Their roles in putting down political and racial protest came to maturity during the 1960s, as they turned their fire against war protests and race riots. In recent years, the blatant racist and political nature of police power has hidden behind a shield of anti-terrorist and anti-drug action. The ACLU writes that, ?From the outset, the war on drugs has in fact been a war on people and their constitutional rights, with African Americans, Latinos and other minorities bearing the brunt of the damage.? Racial profiling and police brutality daily threaten the lives of American racial and political minorities, while the government turns a blind eye. ?The see-no-evil policy of the feds toward police violence comes at a time when the number of police abuse complaints has soared nationally. The Department gets about 15, 000 complaints yearly.? "
Abstract This essay reviews James Skolnick's and James Fyfe's "Above the Law: Police and the Excessive Use of Force". It discusses the authors' examination of police excessive force and policebrutality. In their view, the answer to this problem lies in better accountability. The paper adds a sociological perspective, arguing that police excessive force is related to the phenomenon of social control. The existence of prisons, for instance, necessitate police excessive force, since social elites have a need to criminalize a certain portion of the population.
Abstract The paper examines the legal use of force on behalf of police officers versus aggressive and excessive violence. The paper looks at various articles and focuses on highly publicized incidents, such as the Rodney King and Malice Green cases. The paper explains that there are many factors that contribute to policebrutality and explores policy changes that can eliminate this use of excessive force.
Outline:
Introduction
Article Summaries and Findings
Insightful Analysis of Policy Implications or Creative Ideas for Application in the Criminal Justice Field
Conclusion
From the Paper "The traditional police behavior as "crime-fighters" is constantly reinforced by the mass media through television, movies, and news reporting. A lot of cliches are used to describe the exemplifying role of police officers whose basic responsibility is to maintain order and public safety. It is undeniable that police officers are authorized to use force in some circumstances to overcome resistance of "difficult" populations. Thus violence or rough behavior is used by police against certain people in certain situations. However, it is important to distinguish between the legal use of force and unnecessary violence, aggressive and excessive force that are all various types of police brutality."
Abstract This paper discusses the police programs and strategies and crime statistics of the New York and Los Angeles Police Departments and analyzes each department's effectiveness in combating crime and offenses caused by the criminals and delinquents of the society. In relation to the analyses of both departments? police programs, this paper also studies if both have been involved in serious allegations about any occurrences of policebrutality and corruption to the offenders and to the people the police officers are responsible to.
From the Paper "The first analysis will involve the programs formulated and implemented in the New York Police Department. In the course of the researcher's study, there has been no sources found that can provide a historical trend that analyzes and studies the crime and arrest statistics of the NYPD, although the department's online website has a detailed listings and information about the programs that have been implemented and ongoing in the department's operations and services to the people of New York. The NYPD web site offered numerous programs and guidelines for the people to have sufficient knowledge about basic civilian actions that an individual can do and commit during times of grave danger, or just plain information about how the NYPD operates within its jurisdiction (New York). "
Abstract This paper discusses the nature of police behavior and looks at why it reveals some disconcerting elements of abuse in the way that they treat citizens. By addressing these issues, the writer demonstrates the nature of policebrutality in America.
Abstract The paper examines the changing relationship between police and the community over the past 150 years in the U.S. The paper discusses the function of police to preserve public order and analyzes police power. The paper explores the impact of the Civil Rights Movement concerning issues of disparate treatment and policebrutality and discusses police education and training in contemporary society with the aim of encouraging greater cooperation between the police and society.
From the Paper "By the 's traditional methods of preserving public order in the face of a burgeoning population, rapid urbanization and industrialization and a constant influx of immigrants, rendered traditional methods of preserving public order inadequate. The nation's cities were then policed by a handful of unpaid, untrained and unarmed sheriffs, aldermen, marshals, constables and night watchmen. This system of maintaining public order had functioned effectively in earlier decades when rates of serious crime were low and citizens had informal mechanisms for maintaining order."
Abstract In this paper, the history of the training received by police forces throughout history is contrasted with the recent movement for community policing. Issues such as policebrutality and affirmative action are also dealt with.
From the Paper "Since the beginnings of human history there have been legal systems and people assigned to enforce ..."
Abstract The paper discusses how policebrutality is an issue that negatively affects the social and legal foundations of society. The paper relates that policebrutality and racial profiling make up the core of today's policing. The paper explains that when policebrutality happens, civil society ceases to trust the police and laws that the police are supposed to enforce are no longer followed and respected. The paper contends that law enforcement agencies should be given limited power and right to enforce the rule of law, especially under circumstances wherein judgment of one's misconduct or offense is based on the officer's/enforcer's subjective judgment alone, without sufficient empirical evidence and objective analysis.
From the Paper "Operationalizing the concept of police brutality, it is legally defined as the usage of deadly force in enforcing rules and laws upon the civil society. The key term being "deadly force," police brutality is often an issue relevant and significant mostly among members of minority groups. This is because historically and up until now, police brutality has always been considered a social problem commonly occurring among non-white American members of the society."
