Sworn to Protect_Police Brutality_A Dilemma for America_s Police Vol 23_No 3-4 2016 _156_185.pdf (original) (raw)

Abstract Police abuse is the purposeful practice of unwarranted coercion, frequently physical, but potentially in the form of verbal assaults and psychological intimidation, by police which, constitutes abuse and official misconduct. It may be provoked by contempt of cop (i.e., understood as insults towards police officers). However, occasionally it is a concurrent response by a police officer without any incitement. Police brutality is a grievous form of crime done by the police hired to be prevent the crime itself. The use of force may be judged necessary or excessive depending on whether it was determined to be legitimate under the circumstances to fulfill the police duty (Kania and Mackey, 1977). The media has focused like a laser on the racial divides in the U. S. sparked by the deaths of young African Americans (i.e. Michael Brown in Fergusson, Missouri, Eric Garner, NYC, Oscar Grant in California and Sandra Bland in Texas and many others at the hands of cops with dubious use of force. (Edwards, 2016, Khaleeli, 2016). These deaths lead ultimately to an activists group, ‘Black Lives Matters’. Originally, a loosely confederated group of Black activities that has since Ferguson, MO, (2014), gown and morphed into a solid expansive organization whose mission is now to protest any form of police abuse and brutality. The influence of social media provided a rough transition for counter sentiments such as ‘Blue Lives Matter to ‘All Lives Matter’. The new labels provide a means for those who want to laminate an oppositional side to identify with. According to FBI statistics, African-Americans represented 31 percent of all shooting victims by police while representing 13 percent of all U. S, inhabitants according to Grochowski, R., & Gabrielson, R. (2014, October 10). Approximately 50 percent of the 14,800 police agencies do not report police involved homicide statistics to the FBI - UCR. This is quite distributing considering that 175 Black males were shot Police Brutality – A Dilemma for America’s Police and killed by police since January, 2015. Black’s males represent six percent of the population and 40 percent of victims of police shooting incidents.