Common Complaints Against Police Officers

p The Use of Excessive Force by Police Officers

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Abstract

We are all familiar with the use of excessive force by today 's police departments as we are witness to it time and time again on our television sets , in the safety of our homes . We see the police dragging a helpless victim from their vehicle , throwing them to the ground and proceeding to beat them senseless , seemingly unaware of a bystander 's video camera capturing the entire

scene on tape to be replayed time and time again . The question becomes whether the police officers are reacting to an increased demand by the public to be protected by our men in blue , or whether these officers are simply abusing the power given them by the very public they are bound to protect . Is it a widespread problem , or one in which a few bad police officers make all the good ones look equally guilty ? The general consensus seems to be that today 's police officers are indeed going much further in their quest for justice than is necessary , and that they are also protected from the consequences of their actions in ways the average citizen is not

The Use of Excessive Force by Police Officers

INTRODUCTION

In today 's world , the use of excessive force by police officers seems to be such a common occurrence that we barely give it our attention when it comes on the news . The Rodney King beating on television came before the phenomenon was so common , and people found themselves glued to their television sets in disbelief , unable to imagine such a thing happening in our United States . Since that time police brutality is likely reported somewhere in the United States on a daily basis , and the especially brutal incidents make it to the national news to be shown again and again . Unfortunately , unless it happens to be in our own neighborhood , or worse , is directed toward a friend or family member , we barely give it a second thought , shrugging our shoulders and going blithely about our own lives . When did the brutalization of citizens by those we have trusted to protect and serve ' become so commonplace and why are we not more morally outraged by this issue

BODY

While police officers in the United States are authorized to use both psychological and physical force in to apprehend criminals and solve crimes , the use of physical force , perhaps because it leaves visible scars , is the much more talked-about type of force . As far back as the early 1980 's , the United States Civil Rights Commission reviewed the use of police force and reported that Police possess awesome powers

They perform their duties under hazardous conditions and with the vigilant public eye upon them . Police officers are permitted only a margin of error in judgment under conditions that impose high degrees of physical and mental stress . Their general responsibility to preserve peace and enforce the...