Since the beginning of the structured police forces across the United States corruption, misconduct, and claims of brutality by police officers has been a problem. Police officers who were sworn to protect and serve the people of their communities have been instilled with authority over people. Throughout history anyone having some type of power or absolute authority over another has created controversy. This paper will look into the statements and details of concerns dealing with police corruption, misconduct, and brutality of police officers in the United States.
Corruption, Misconduct, and Brutality by Police Officers
Corruption by uniformed police officers is a form of misconduct. This is done by an officer who is attempting to obtain something for his personal gain like money or a possible advancement in career. Misconduct of this type is done with the officer using his authority or power abusively. The term police corruption is typically stated when speaking or referring to the department administration doing something to gain a political edge or possibly a kind of gain financially. The everyday uniformed officer could be listed as corrupt by accepting money to not perform his duties properly. All officers who are stated to be corrupt have committed an action that is considered to be illegal. In 1971 the Knapp Commission investigated the serious crimes committed by New York City Police Officers they labeled the meat eaters. There was also the widespread problem of
Police brutality and office involved shootings have sparked national debate and created a strain between police officers and citizens. Recently, there have been more home videos that display acts of aggression by police officers. These police officers often use excessive forces or a condescending tone towards people of color which is why there needs to be a better way to mend police and civilian relationship. People should be able to trust the police in their communities rather than fear them.
Recently police have come under fire for the deaths of many unarmed African American males. This has broken the trust between civilians and police and torn our country apart. People are frustrated about the killings of unarmed citizens and how it seems every officer can get away with killing an unarmed suspect. Back in 1994 a law was passed that required the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to record date on police involved shooting and deaths by police officers. Except where are the numbers that would show there is an increase in unarmed African American deaths from police officers?
Police corruption contributes to the misuse of police powers because it involves the use of favoritism, bribery, shakedown, and perjury. Police corruption can be caused from discretion, low managerial visibility, low public visibility, and politics. Police officers are given a wide range of discretion on how to handle situations and that often leads to the abuse of power. Also, managers are not always watching over the officer’s shoulder to ensure that the right thing is being done, and the public does not often see the actions of the police. Which means they can get away with a lot of wrongful actions. Politics can create corruption in policing because politics can affect hiring standards, promotions, discipline, and adequate budget. There have been instances where a political leader would tell management who they want to be promoted. That is wrong because promotions should be dependent on your work ability, not because of political influence. There is also external corruption that will convince the officer to engage in payoffs and gratuities. For example: drug dealers would give police officers a percentage of their profit so that they can continue to sell and not go to jail. (Locke, 1996)
The heated issue of police brutality and police officers violating civil rights has extensively covered media headlines for several years. Hundreds of people are killed every year by police officers, and many of these cases bring up issues of police brutality. More often than not, it is usually a white police officer and an african american offender encounter that sparks media attention. The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri is just one of these cases that has caused a major divide in the United States. Michael Brown was fatally shot by Officer Wilson after an unfriendly encounter in the streets. Those who believe that Officer Wilson made the right decision in shooting Michael Brown, point to the fact that the grand jury chose not to indict him. Although Darren WIlson was not charged after the shooting of unarmed Michael Brown, some people believe that his actions were unlawful and he should have received some sort of punishment for his wrongdoing. Acknowledging all of the facts of the investigation, Officer Wilson did not act properly in the circumstances of the time.
When you think of the police, your opinion may vary. Let me ask you a question about our police force. But keep this in mind, in October 2015 alone, there was 81 deaths by the police. With that being said, who’s to protect us from whose protecting the block? I don 't care who you are, you have to be able to realize nowadays that the police brutality is getting out of hand, that the power surge is growing and growing. Look around, there 's an increase of civilians death via cops, an increase of reports of police wrongdoing, and an increase of more officers standing trial for a case relating to police brutality.
In order for a Police agency to prevent and deter Police misconduct, there must be a definition to what actions and behaviors that the term will encompass. The term ‘police corruption’ has been used to describe many activities: bribery; violence and brutality; fabrication and destruction of evidence; racism; favoritism or nepotism. Many different scholars differ in their own examples of the definition. Before attempting to the question of whether a precise definition is possible, it is worth examining the range of activities that might be included within a broad discussion of corruption. In (Bayley and Perito, 2011), it is defined as police corruption is a contested phrase with narrow and broad meanings. Narrowly
We hear about police misconduct case and wonder, Why don’t they do anything to stop this? Many say that we should keep the police officers’ perspective in mind. Others say that these actions are due to racism or post 9/11 paranoia. Whatever the excuse may be for these cases, there should be no need for violence anywhere. Police brutality videos go viral and reveal to the world that it actually happens and that it may happen to you too. This pervades people with fear and anger because their civil right are being violated. Riots are the outcome making the streets unsafe and chaotic. Statistics show percentage of the movements taken upon these criminal acts performed by police officers. We can put a stop to this and we will put a
Police brutality is a very controversial topic in America. Some people think that the police are protecting their community and are doing whatever it takes to keep them safe. On the other hand, a lot of Americans feel that the police are choosy, prejudice, and overall just unfair. Personally, I think it depends on the situation at hand. I have read up on some cases that I felt that the police took advantage of their powers. I have also read a couple of situations where I felt that their actions of brutality were justified.
Have you ever thought about what happens if a person breaks a law? What if this individual breaks a minor law and creates a larger problem? A strong topic is upon our society when it comes to law enforcement and the tough physical and verbal oppression that they have the potential to put on people when it comes to breaking the law. Police officers are supposed to be society 's saviors, guardians, and our friends. However, when things do not go quite right, and when someone breaks the law, there will always be that chance that things could escalate. These officers are supposed to deescalate situations and solve problems. That is what society relies on them at any given moment. Sometimes it takes an escalation of force to deescalate a criminal situation. This is why society sees the men and women in uniform with weapons capable of hindering life to the fullest. However, when this force is used and abused, it creates problems. The public eye becomes weary of the police in many different ways for using excessive force to deescalate a situation. Excessive force and police brutality are often caused by depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, as well as other mental disorders; due to the way they are portrayed by the media, excessive force and police brutality have a direct effect on the American society as well as fellow officers in all branches of law enforcement.
A young man’s brutal death at the hands of the police is found justified in a court of law due to his “suspicious” appearance: a black hoodie and his hands in his pocket. An elderly woman is fatally shot in her home for her relation to a suspected criminal. A married man with two toddlers is choked to death after a minor traffic stop by an officer who later claimed that his unarmed victim was wielding a gun. These people all have a few commonalities: the color of their skin, their presumed guilt at first sight, and their ultimate unjustified death administered by the law force. These are not uncommon occurrences. Due to the staggeringly disproportionate rate of African-Americans killed by the police, and the underlying rampant racial profiling, police brutality towards blacks in America must be called to light.
In recent years police actions, especially police abuse remains one of the most serious and estranged human rights violation in the United States. While citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, it has now been shown that they must also keep an eye on those who are supposed to protect us. Thousands of individuals that complained about police abuse are reported each year and local authorities pay out millions of dollars to victims in damages after all the lawsuits. Police have beaten, shot at unresisting suspects; they have misused their batons, and also their electroshock weapons. Over the past decade, police officers have acted out in ways that make people wonder, are these officers of the law really doing their job? Severe beatings, unjustified shootings, and rough treatment have all contributed to the problem of police brutality in America. Police officers continue to abuse their given authority by acting in a brutal manner in order to control a detained suspect. The job of a police officer is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crime. They are engaged in a dangerous and stressful occupation that can absolutely involve violent situations that must be controlled. In many of these confrontations with the public, it may become necessary for the police to administer force to take control of the situation. Sometimes excessive force takes the form of hand-to-hand combat with a suspect who is resisting arrest. At least once every month or two the news
Whatever is going on between the black community and the police force is reflective of the deep-seated racial system in the United States and in particular, within the US judicial system (Tharoor). Police brutality is a thorny issue in the US society mainly due to misconduct on the police side and hatred on the community’s side. However, the current police killings of black people and retaliation of the black community are not because every police officer is racial; they are rather a result of few bad elements in the US law enforcement system. Such police officers are making it dangerous for both the black population and the police force to coexist in the society. Therefore, it is my belief that the current situation between black people and the police is the result of the racism that exists in a few police officials.
Police misconduct has remained a serious problem since the beginning of policing. Police officers have grant especial power that if not use in an ethical way can end in police misconduct. Police officers are the ones who are supposed to protect and serve the communities, so it is horrible to know that some officers engage in misconduct behaviors that are hampering the trust and confidence that people in society have on them. Some police officers do not hold themselves to the ethical standards that they should follow and by this situation they engage in police misconduct. In addition, police misconduct is a topic that through the years of policing has been creating arguments and divisions between communities and police departments. Since the beginning of policing it is well-known that different reforms had been put in place to prevent police misconduct from happening but, unfortunately police misconduct is still prevalent in police organizations. The movie Fort Apache the Bronx addressed this problem of police brutality when two officers killed a teenager for not reason. During the movie it was palpable how the police subculture was a serious problem that leads to officers engaging in unethical behavior because they feel protected under the code of silence that reflects the occupational solidarity that exists among officers and requires that officers neither report nor incriminate fellow officers. The nature of police work creates
Fair and equal treatment is a widely accepted aspiration of most Americans, but to this day is still a work in progress. It's naive to say police misconduct isn't an issue, even more so to say that young African American men aren't unreasonably marginalized and targeted. This is something we need to take action towards and make a change if we expect anything about this to change. Police are not the enemy, the majority of police are well trained and RESPECTFUL OF THE PEOPLE, but that is not to make light of very serious problems regarding police brutality, false statements, racial profiling, manslaughter, sexual assault, and much much more among the minority of officers. They are meant to prevent crime, protect and serve, and enforce the law.
Police corruption has become an international problem. This was initially a common practice during the period when the police institutions were being developed but the effect has been felt by many people, even affecting peacekeeping operations. The police abuse and corruption has become endemic in the U.S making many citizens seek help from other organization. An example of such a case was experienced in the police training program in Afghanistan were the civilians were brutally abused forcing