Police_Brutality

Daniel Cedillo PSC 204 Dr. Susan Pickman Police Brutality Police Officers and Units have been viewed as a source of protection from criminals, thieves, drug dealers and to prevent us from being victims of these low life human beings, but what happens when we become the victims of police in cases of police brutality' In this paper I will explore the aspects of police brutality and will take a look at some cases. We as people of the community expect the most from police officers. We expect protection, courtesy, kindness and most of all we expect to find a friend in a police officer. But this will not always be the case. Police brutality has been defined by professionals as” the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but also potentially in the form of verbal attacks and psychological abuse”. Police Administration; Structures , Processes and Behavior: 7th Edition Certainly these types of abuses have an impact in the community in which they occur because it immediately changes the view of citizens towards police officers. Older people and young are victims of theses attacks, but what really causes these attacks to occur' Many professionals have stated that” racism” and “racial profiling” are two factors that when put together can have very negative effects that will lead police to commit acts of brutality. In one case, a group of young people walking down the streets, African Americans, around the age of 17, were just hanging out walking down a street in NYC when they saw a police car slowly approach but since they were not doing anything illegal they did not fear therefore they approach the police car trying to settle a conversation but they were immediately told to put their hands in the air and to stand back and get on their knees according to the police report. Being afraid, one of them tried to run away, during the attempt a police officer took out his nightstick and hit him in the head causing him to get 25 stitches. The others were released and when asked about it, they did not comment because they said they were afraid since they had been Threaten by the officers. “police don’t respect the rights of young people.” said Richie Perez, National congress for Puerto Rican Rights. I see this as an abusive attack from police officers because even thought after having searched the young men and not finding anything illegal, he should of never hit him in the head and cause him that injury. This is why according to experts in police brutality cases, young people fear law enforcement, but yet police say they” need to monitor young people more due to the brutal nature of some crimes committed by teens”. According to Marya Sieminski, she said that “ there are law enforcement officials who ignore their sworn duty and violate the rights of law- abiding citizens”. There are some types of police abuse and brutality. One of them is excessive force. It is stated by law that police may only use the amount of force that is needed to carry out their daily duties on the job. The word “Excessive” comes to play a role depending on the reason why police attempted to stop and arrest an individual, and the circumstances under which this individual answered to police commands and request, according to Marya. For example if an individual was armed or a fleeing felon, police have the right to use physical force to restrain this individual because it imposes immediate threat to them and the public. Another type of abuse is false arrest and imprisonment. This one is a very common one among police departments through out the nation. Me myself know a lot of cases of friends who have been arrested under false statements by police. This happens when police take an individual into custody without a warrant or probable cause. When police lack probable cause to arrest someone, the arrest may be a “false arrest” because without probable cause or without an informant or police officer actually seeing someone committing an illegal act, then the arrest is not justified. Sometimes innocent people are subject to what Marya says its “ malicious prosecution”, in which a law enforcement official begins a criminal proceeding without probable cause but with the intent to cause the person embarrassment and financial expenses. Unreasonable searches is another type of abuse that occurs in the streets everyday. Everyone knows that police cant go into a persons house without consent or a search warrant but still officers enter and search an individuals house without a warrant or consent or even in the existence of an emergency or exigent circumstances. Police also search a person who is not under arrest, or even if they did not have probable cause or reasonable doubt that a crime has been committed but they still do a full body search and pat down. These were some types of abuse that people suffer from police and law enforcement officials. There has been some cases of police brutality which I will talk about, that has had an impact in society based on the facts on which they happened. A man named Amadou Diallo was shit 40 times by four NYPD officers June 13,2000 just because his wallet was mistaken for a gun. People wonder why these officers don’t get punished for their acts and its basically because it’s a matter of authority. People claim we are all humans but police break our rights as humans when we try to express our selves but they physically abuse us. All victims are mentioned to be from minority groups and were harmed by NYPD officers. In less then four years, fifty five people have died while being in custody of the NYC police department. One case that has come to my attention is the one of a man in NYC who was raped by 3police officers with a baton in the NYC subway system. Its incredible how people whom we are suppose to trust and feel protected by, can do such horrible things. And yet they don’t get the right punishment. There is no doubt many of this cases have one thing in common behind them, and that is racism. Racism has being an issue in the U.S.A and the world for the past century and more. It is a problem that will be very hard to over come. There should be more strict laws prohibiting this police behavior, because if we don’t all together as one, we may be the next victims of police brutality. Laws should punish the officers who do such acts as raping and the officers who unload their guns at a man or woman who do no posses any fire arm or do not threat the officers life. There are definitely good and bad officers, but the bad ones make everyone look bad because of their acts. In conclusion, police brutality is a very serious issue which should have more attention put in by city members and leaders. We cant be afraid of police officers, they are suppose to protect us from crime but they are the ones inflicting crime among us. So are we fighting police “crime” too'. As I said more laws should be made punishing the abusers, and there should be no toleration on racist attacks. I am sure when I become a law enforcement official. I will not abuse my authority and will be a role model for kids in my community and respect everyone but also work hard to stop criminals. References : 1. Article: by Marya Sieminski, Law offices of Sam Bernstein; 2003. 2. Text book: Police Administration; Structures , Processes and Behavior: 7th Edition Charles R. Swanson Leonard Territo Robert W. Taylor 3.website: http://www.innocenceproject.org/understand/Government-Misconduct.php'gclid=CPaFgpDo0Z4CFYJx5QodFy7jqQ