A 

Abortion
Accounting
Advertising
Africa
African-American Studies
Aging
Agriculture
American Indian Studies
Anthropology
Archaeology
Architecture
Argumentative
Art: Artists (Alphabetized)
Art: General
Become an Affiliate and Earn $$$
Biographies (Alphabetized)
Book Reviews (Non-Fiction) (Alphabetized)
Business: Companies (Alphabetized)
Business: General
Business: Industries (Alphabetized)
Business: International
Business: Small
California
Canada
Caribbean
Child Abuse
China
Communication: Journalism
Communication: Language & Speech
Communication: Media
Communication: Non-Verbal
Communication: Television
Communication: Television & Children
Communism
Computer Science
Consumerism
Criminal Justice: General
Criminal Justice: Juvenile Delinquency
Criminal Justice: Police Science
Criminal Justice: Prisons
Cuba
Death & Dying: Euthanasia
Death & Dying: General
Death & Dying: Suicide
Drama: American
Drama: English
Drama: World
Drugs: Alcohol
Drugs: General
Economics: Banking
Economics: Economists (Alphabetized)
Economics: General
Economics: Inflation
Economics: International Trade
Economics: Macroeconomics
Economics: Microeconomics
Economics: Taxation
Education: Administration
Education: Curriculum
Education: General
Education: Higher
Education: Physical
Education: Psychology
Education: Reading
Education: Special
Education: Teaching Methods
Education: Theory
Energy: General
Energy: Nuclear
Energy: Solar
Environmental Studies
Evolution
Family & Marriage
Films: Artists (Alphabetized)
Films: General
Finance: Companies (Alphabetized)
Finance: General
Former Soviet Union: Post-1990
France
Gender & Sexuality
Geography
Germany
History: Ancient Greek & Roman
History: European
History: Great Britain
History: U.S. (After 1865)
History: U.S. (Before 1865)
History: U.S. Presidency
History: U.S. Presidents (Alphabetized)
Homosexuality
Immigration
India
Indonesia
International Relations: Arms Control
International Relations: Cold War
International Relations: Non-U.S.
International Relations: U.S.
Japan
Jewish Studies
Korea
Labor
Latin America
Law: Business
Law: Capital Punishment
Law: General
Law: International & Non-U.S.
Law: Supreme Court
Leadership
Literature, American: Authors (Alphabetized)
Literature, American: Faulkner
Literature, American: Fitzgerald
Literature, American: General
Literature, American: Hawthorne
Literature, American: Hemingway
Literature, American: Melville
Literature, American: Poe
Literature, American: Steinbeck
Literature, American: Twain
Literature, English: Authors (Alphabetized)
Literature, English: Chaucer
Literature, English: Conrad
Literature, English: Dickens
Literature, English: General
Literature, English: Joyce
Literature, English: Lawrence
Literature, English: Shakespeare
Literature, English: Swift
Literature, General: Children
Literature, General: Classic (Greek & Roman)
Literature, General: Russian
Literature, General: World
Management: General
Management: Japanese
Management: Motivation
Management: Theory
Management: Women
Marketing: Companies (Alphabetized)
Marketing: General
Marketing: Plans
Mathematics
Medical: Aids
Medical: Dentistry
Medical: Diseases & Disorders (Alphabetized)
Medical: General
Medical: Nursing
Mexican-American Studies
Mexico
Middle East: Egypt
Middle East: General
Middle East: O.P.E.C.
Military
Music: Classical
Music: General
Mythology
Nutrition
Parapsychology/Occult
Philosophy: Ancient Greek
Philosophy: Descartes
Philosophy: Eastern
Philosophy: General
Philosophy: Kant
Philosophy: Sartre
Poetry: American
Poetry: English
Poetry: Milton
Poetry: World
Political Science: Elections & Campaigns
Political Science: Foreign
Political Science: Lobbyists & Pressure Groups
Political Science: Machiavelli
Political Science: Mill
Political Science: Political Theory
Political Science: U.S.
Psychology: Behaviorism
Psychology: Child & Adolescent
Psychology: Disorders
Psychology: Dreams
Psychology: Experimental
Psychology: Freud
Psychology: General
Psychology: Jung
Psychology: Physiology
Psychology: Piaget
Psychology: Rogers
Psychology: Social
Psychology: Testing
Psychology: Therapies
Public Administration: General
Public Administration: Government Agencies (Alphabetized)
Racism
Real Estate
Recreation & Leisure
Religion: Eastern
Religion: General
Religion: Islam
Religion: The Bible
Research: Completed Studies (With Statistics & Results)
Research: Designs & Proposals
Research: Statistics & Methodology
Russia: Pre-1917 Revolution
Science: Astronomy
Science: Biology
Science: General
Science: Genetics
Sociology: Durkheim
Sociology: General
Sociology: Marx
Sociology: Social Problems
Sociology: Social Theory
Sociology: Social Welfare
Sociology: Weber
Soviet Union: 1917-1990
Sports: Drugs
Sports: General
Technology
Transportation: Automotive
Transportation: Aviation
Transportation: General
Transportation: Railroads
Urban Studies
Vietnam
Women Studies
 

POLICE BRUTALITY.   Term Paper ID:24874 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Use of force guidelines, example (Rodney King beatng), police attitudes, quality-of-life policing, impact on society.... More...

7 Pages / 1575 Words 7 sources, 18 Citations, APA Format $28.00 Return to List of Papers

Paper Abstract: Use of force guidelines, example (Rodney King beatng), police attitudes, quality-of-life policing, impact on society. Paper Introduction: The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have an impact on law enforcement for years to come. The videotape of the beating, broadcast nationwide, resulted in public outrage over police brutality. The City of Los Angeles appointed a special commission to investigate whether brutality was widespread within the police department. Police departments across the country likewise reviewed their own policies on excessive force. Despite these efforts, citizen complaints about police brutality have increased since the Rodney King beating. Police are allowed to use force during the course of their daily activities. Force can be used to make arrests, maintain order, or keep the peace. The important thing is that the police officer is able to gain control of the situation. How the officer gains control is left up to his or her judgment: "In Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. 5). Part of this mentality is understandable. The idea is that control of these minorcrimes leads to control of more serious crimes: "when left untreated,small disorders breed larger ones. Louis. Police operations, 2nd edition.St. Most of thevictims are African-American or Latino. 139). 139). (September 1, 1997). Hess, K. . Having an "us" versus "them" mentality is a sureroad to conflict. McNamara, J. 2). (1997). Applying the above conditions, it is clear that the Rodney Kingbeating was a display of excessive force by the Los Angeles PoliceDepartment (LAPD). 1 7). Psychological testing is another means of prevention. The policy also goes by the name'broken windows,' after the idea that one broken window on a street willencourage people to break more of them" (Lacayo, 1997, p. A studyof profiles of officers with excessive force problems showed that many hadpersonality disorders, previous job-related problems, or personal problemsthat put them at risk of using excessive force (Hess and Wrobleski, 1997,p. The videotape of the Rodney King beating raised such public protestthroughout the nation that the City of Los Angeles appointed a specialcommission to investigate its police department. Sometimes the mere presence of the police officer is enoughcontrol. New York: Simon and Schuster.----------------------- 9 A major cause of police brutality is the belief that police officersare "soldiers" in a "war" on crime. 163). Good cop, bad cop. Policedepartments across the country likewise reviewed their own policies onexcessive force. The use of deadlyforce is the hardest decision that a police officer makes. 513). . In response, the public believesthat the tougher the cop, the better the effect on crime, and so citizenstend to vote for the politicians who make the biggest promises regarding awar on crime. Quality-of-lifepolicing has zero tolerance for minor criminal behavior such as loud music,public drinking, and loitering. Article A1969875 . 28(2). Policing urban America, 3rdedition. ArticleA19698749. In a survey conducted by the Commission, 3 percent of LAPDofficers responding said that excessive force was a serious problem in thedepartment (Hess and Wrobleski, 1997, p. Lacayo, R. and Dunham, R. The important thing is that the police officer is able to gaincontrol of the situation. Such conditions are ripe for excessive force, with police quicklygetting out of control. All police must feel that they are a part of thecommunity that they serve. Therewas no paper trail, no arrest records, and no witnesses. One method is "quality-of-life"policing used by the New York City Police Department and adopted by suchcities as Cleveland, Ohio, Milwaukee, and St. The compliance hold(physical force) is the next stage of control, followed by the use of non-lethal weapons such as the baton or chemical spray. The LAPD officers crossed the line between what wasnecessary to subdue King and police brutality: "Excessive force, bydefinition exceeds what is reasonable . The beating continuedlong after King had been subdued: "those officers lost control and thebeating resembled a feeding frenzy" (Alpert and Dunham, 1997, p. Although the videotape of the King beating clearly showed that theLAPD officers were in the wrong, some officers defended the use of force inthis situation. Formal inspection is used along with directsupervision. Also, King hadjust led the police officers on a high-speed chase that endangered lives.But these factors should not have been considered in the police officers'decision to assault King in such a brutal manner. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland. Time, p. Police abuse of power is so common that themother of a murdered victim, Anthony Baez, created the Anthony BaezFoundation to inform the public about the problem. 4). . When this fails, the internal affairs division is called into investigate: "This operation is basically a police department within apolice department" (Alpert and Dunham, 1997, p. 13). The officer must be able to showthat the use of deadly force was reasonable. The 1991 beating of California motorist Rodney King will have animpact on law enforcement for years to come. Time, p. One method that police departments have tried to prevent policebrutality is training programs. This fact is supported bya former Philadelphia police officer (aka Blondie) who is now serving a 13-year sentence in federal prison. 13. In 1991, Blondie andhis partner beat an innocent black college student, Arthur Colbert. The operation of these bandsof rogue cops is made easier by the police code of silence, an unwrittenlaw that police officers do not tell on their fellow cops, even when theseofficers engage in illegal activity. . The first line of internal control is theinspections unit, which makes sure that officers are performing accordingto accepted standards. Available: Infotrac SearchBank. Police brutality occurs when it slips through the cracks of adepartment's internal controls. (1997). All police academy training programsinclude instruction on excessive force. After listeningto Colbert's detailed testimony, Blondie's superiors decided to act: "Asweeks passed and police everywhere pondered the King horror, thePhiladelphia department's internal investigation was leading commanders toa logical conclusion; this was no time for a cover-up" (Kramer, 1997, p.3). Expanded Academic ASAP. The Foundationpublishes a 1 -page book, called Stolen Lives, that lists the names ofmore than 3 people who have been killed by police or the border patrolsince 199 . . According to Blondie, "The first [rule]is, keep it in the ghetto. (September 1, 1997). In the good areas, you don't go stopping peoplewithout cause" (Kramer, 1997, p. The officer has a range of force options from which tochoose. Force can be used to make arrests, maintain order, or keep thepeace. 139). Any resistance is met withforce. Policeofficers who buy into this subculture project a tough, macho image and aredistrustful of outsiders. After investigating, Philadelphia uncovered a pattern of police abuseby a gang-like group of rogue cops. Download pages: 1-4. The politicians, in turn, put pressure on police departmentsto get tough on crime: "police misconduct often had its roots in subtleindications by supervisors to officers that 'extralegal' tactics . 39). 1). (December 1997). Brutality is widespread: "nearlyevery day somewhere in America someone is killed or injured while in policecustody" (Ervin, 1997, p. TheProgressive, p. and Wrobleski, H. The internal affairsdivision receives, processes, and investigates citizen and departmentalcomplaints against police officers. Ervin, M. At other times, verbal commands are needed. Thus a police officer who seriously injures or even kills a suspectis justified under certain conditions. Why the Big Apple feels safer.Maclean's, p. 222). The impact of police brutality on society has resulted in thousandsof broken lives across the country. The problem with quality-of-life policing is that it often results inpolice making "sweeps" of certain areas, cracking down on crime by makingthrowing people in jail without due process. The Rodney King beating wasindirectly responsible for Blondie and nine of his fellow Philadelphiapolice officers being brought down for corruption. Available: Infotrac SearchBank.Expanded Academic ASAP. . The Commission also foundthat only a small number of officers accounted for the majority of citizencomplaints about the use of excessive force. Thernstrom, S. (September 11, 1995). . 13). Rogue cops band together and coverone another's crimes" (McNamara, 1997, p. and Thernstrom, A. The police puttheir lives on the line every day. As a result of political emphasis on a war on crime and drugs, policedepartments across the country have adopted new ways of policing that haveled to an increase in police brutality. Many policedepartments only test to screen out applicants, but the ChristopherCommission suggested regular re-testing for all police officers. With the increased focus on policebrutality, many departments have chosen to provide such training to veteranofficers as well. On the night of March 3, 1991, King led the police on an eight-mile, high-speed chase through city streets. . 3). The videotape of the beating,broadcast nationwide, resulted in public outrage over police brutality.The City of Los Angeles appointed a special commission to investigatewhether brutality was widespread within the police department. 39(2). Despite these efforts, citizen complaints about policebrutality have increased since the Rodney King beating. They have to be able to trust theirfellow officers because lack of trust can create a dangerous situation.But too often the police code of silence has been used to cover up extremecases of police brutality and even murder. When King finally stopped, heresisted arrest and a group of at least three LAPD officers beat, kicked,and shot him with a taser gun while more than a dozen other officerswatched: "Images of King writhing under the blows were a staple onnational television for months to come" (Thernstrom and Thernstrom, 1997,p. References Alpert, G. King was a paroled convict. How the officer gains control is left up to hisor her judgment: "In other words, an officer most often attempts to takecontrol of a confrontation by defining the situation" (Alpert and Dunham,1997, p. Police are allowed to use force during the course of their dailyactivities. A veteran chief: Too many copsthink it is a war. . Officers are not required toendanger their own lives if they believe that a suspect is about to causeinjury or death. A memorial for stolen lives. (1997). Although New York's crime rate has dropped, a dropwhich the police say is due to quality-of-life patrols, the rate of citizencomplaints of police brutality have also increased: "According to theCivilian Complaint Review Board, the number of complaints about policeharassment and brutality jumped 37 percent last year . Police brutality is often discriminatory. America in black andwhite. Download pages: 1-2. The war mentality says it is okay todo certain things that would not be allowed under normal conditions.Police adopt this mentality because of citizens, whose fear of crime hasreached an all-time high, and because of politicians, who publicize thenotion that tough cops prevent crime. The last resort is theuse of deadly force. The findings of the Christopher Commission that a small group ofofficers in a police department is usually the core of the problem ofpolice brutality is echoed by other law enforcement experts. The independent bodybecame known as the Christopher Commission, for its chairman WarrenChristopher. Beiser, V. According tothe former police chief of San Jose, California, "Today there is frequentlyan element of police gangsterism . Most of thosecomplaints originated with African-Americans and Latinos, a trend thatangers local minority leaders" (Beiser, 1995, p. As Alpert and Dunham (1997) observe,"As with other subcultures, the police subculture involves secrecy andisolation from those who are not part of the group" (p. . In other words, an "us" against "them" mentalityis created. They pointed to the fact that King's blood alcohol levelwas above the legal limit. wereacceptable" (McNamara, 1997, p. Besides names, the book gives the age, ethnicity, andcircumstances of the victims' deaths: "Stolen Lives functions like aVietnam Memorial on paper . The book proposes to 'put a human face' onthe epidemic of police brutality" (Ervin, 1997, p. Ending police brutality requires a change in the way that at-riskofficers see their jobs. Guidelines define when deadly force should be used:"The use of such force is prescribed by state and federal statutes andbasically requires that deadly force be used only in self-defense or in thedefense of another" (Hess and Wrobleski, 1997, p. Although the police accused King of resisting arrest, as acitizen he had the right to use reasonable force to protect himself,because the officers were using excessive force to subdue him. when an officer takes someoneinto custody or attempts to recapture someone who has tried to avoidarrest, only reasonable force is permissible" (Alpert and Dunham, 1997, p.223-224). 26(5). Paul: West. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.