Police Brutality Research Paper

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Police officers have a professional obligation to ensure the safety and security of all citizens and their community. With that responsibility they are given the power and legal right to use force if necessary, to control a dangerous situation. Some police officers feel that they are above the law and they abuse their power to unjustly apprehend, abuse, and in some cases fatally injure suspects. Police brutality has always been a controversial issue in the United States. Police brutality is when a police officer uses excessive force to apprehend or control an individual by physically abusing, verbally attacking, and psychologically intimidating. When a law enforcement officer uses excessive force it causes a community to question the integrity…show more content…
Elliott and Joycelyn M. Pollock discuss the controversy surrounding police brutality and propose possible causes of the use of excessive force. As police officers they have to decide when and where the use of force is necessary and the level of force that is appropriate for the situation. Elliott and Pollock believe that police officers can be influenced by situational factors and training. Excessive use of force is most common in urban communities. Communities with a high level of violent crimes also increase the risk of excessive use of force by law enforcement. Another situational factor that influences police officers is the suspect’s demeanor. If a suspect is acting erratically and not responding to the officers commands the officer heightens their methods to apprehend the control the suspect. Police officers go through extensive training in the police academy before being hired on as an on-duty officer. Even after the academy, officers are usually put on 6-month shadow training in order to see the proper protocol and policies in various situations. Elliott and Pollock…show more content…
The typical duties of police officers are well taught in job training but most training programs lack in educating officers on morality, justice, social interaction, and using proper force. Police brutality has many causes but Elliott and Pollock believe that, “In the end, however it comes down to an officer choosing to follow a moral clarity, not letting emotions influence his decisions or following the immoral conduct of others, that is more likely to ensure only necessary force occurs” (Elliott/Pollock,

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