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Police Brutality Research Paper

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Police Brutality Research Paper
English 111
December 5, 2011
Police brutality Police brutality is one of the most serious and divisive human rights violations in the United States and it occurs in every community. The job of a police officer is to maintain public order, prevent, and detect crime. They are engaged in a dangerous and stressful occupation that can involve violent situations that must be controlled. In many of these confrontations with the public it may become necessary for the police to administer force to take control of a situation. Sometimes this force takes the form of hand to hand combat with a suspect who resists being arrested. Not all police officers in communities are good cops. At least once a year the news is covering a story about a person being beat by a police officer. Police brutality is where a police officer beats a person or criminal for no apparent reason and isn’t threatened by the criminal when taking these actions. Racial profiling is the most common form of police brutality. In the United States, beating of a criminal for committing a criminal act is illegal and the police officer will be fired and no longer able to work any community as a police officer. Not only is police brutality shown in an excessive force but, verbal attacks happen more often. Verbal attacks are more common because officers feel like they won’t get in trouble because no damage is done but, words mean a lot. In some rare cases a police officer has killed the suspect out of anger and no reason. A police officer is permitted to force against a citizen when needed to or when felt threatened. Some of the beatings occur when the citizen is in handcuffs and not able to do anything to protect himself, some have called it alley court. Every year about 261 police officers are cited for police brutality and 27 percent of victims resulted in civil lawsuits and 34 percent are favoring victims. Citizens shouldn’t have to worry about getting beat by the ones who protect us that defeats the purpose

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