Police Brutality

Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Use of Excessive Force 3

In the defense of the Use of Force 7

Conclusion 13

Cited Works 14

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Police Brutality

Introduction

The police force is an arm of the criminal justice system . One of their functions is to help in the maintenance of peace and within the community . Some patrol the streets for the purpose of achieving high police visibility while some stay in the police department to respond to calls for assistance coming

from the locals of a community In case a crime is committed in their presence or when responding to calls for assistance , their task is to apprehend these criminals

The Police Officers may also be deployed in cases of mass demonstrations . In democratic countries the people air their grievances by conducting mass rallies and demonstrations after they have secured the necessary clearances from the government . The function of the police officers deployed to places where mass demonstrations are being held is to ensure that the people stay within the area covered by their permit . They also seek to ensure that people do not commit any criminal acts or disturb the peace and of the city . In case the demonstrators commit any violations the task of police officers is to apprehend them

Concerns have been raised on the issue of the use of force by the police in performing their functions . There are those who say that police brutality is a general trend in our society . They say that the use of excessive force by the law enforcement officers is a violation of the human rights . Research shows that in the Los Angeles Police Department and the Cincinnati Police Department alone , these two cities have spent a settlements in civil liability lawsuits involving use of excessive force by a male officer while they have spent 2 .8 million for excessive force involving a female police officer (Male , Women and Police Excessive Force : A Tale of Two Genders ,

.3

On the other hand , these police officers defend themselves by declaring that these are isolated events and that the use of force was reasonable Studies (2005 ) show that from 1968 to 1975 , an average of 483 persons per year were shot dead by police rounds . That average has dropped significantly since then . Overall , the annual average of lethal shootings is down 33 since 1968 (Destroying Myths Discovering Cold Facts About Controversial Force Issues ,

.3

This research is concerned with the issue of police brutality Police Brutality is a term that is very emotionally charged and needs to be clarified . A distinction will be made between the use of reasonable force and the imposition of excessive force amounting to police brutality . In the concluding part of this I aim to take my stand on this issue

Police Brutality

Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force , HYPERLINK "http /en .wikipedia .org /wiki /Assault " \o "Assault " assault , verbal attacks...