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James Burns

ELA 12

Meyer Period 2

2/26/17

Senior Capstone Police Brutality and Abuse

The actions made by the countrys police force and the events that they have caused are a

major issue in todays modern society. The people of America specifically the targeted groups are

and have been very skeptical of the actions of our police force and it is very controversial. While

researching this topic I have found varying opinions on this topic of the police, know that these

dont apply to all officers but that there are bad bunches throughout. Some things to consider

throughout are What is the government doing about this? and How are families affected by

the police problems? Some of the articles I found show how the police problems have changed

over time while others say what we need to do to prevent these issues. My goal is to bring

together multiple opinions and come to a conclusion of what exactly is happening with our

countys police force and how we can come together to fix it.

First off, police misconduct is a problem in all fifty states of the US. Police misconduct

encompasses illegal or unethical actions or the violation of individual's constitutional rights by

police officers in the conduct of their duties. Examples of police misconduct include police

brutality, dishonesty, fraud, coercion, torture to force confessions, abuse of authority, and sexual

assault, including the demand for sexual favors in exchange for leniency. Any of these actions

can increase the likelihood of a wrongful conviction.(California Innocence Project)

Police brutality today is still very similar today as to how it was in the 90s. In 1999

police shot and killed an African American man by the name of Amadou Diallo because they
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mistook his wallet as a gun, which may have actually been and intentional mistake. This is

very similar to some recent events such as the death of Michael Brown when he was shot

multiple times and killed while he was unarmed. Progress hasnt solved many things yet. In the

weeks before Browns death, police killed Eric Garner using an illegal chokehold, after they

stopped him for suspected sale of untaxed cigarettes. That death was ruled a homicide by the

medical examiner.(Changes in Police Brutality). These scenarios are are similar in the fact that

the victims did nothing to harm the police and were killed because of it. The 2001 shooting of

Timothy Thomas by police that triggered riots in Cincinnati, Ohio. Thomas, a 19-year-old with

an infant son, started to run when an officer approached him on the street outside a nightclub.

The officer called in back-up, a chase was on, and shots were fired with almost no information

about Thomas. Cops said they thought Thomas was reaching for a gun but none was ever

found.(Changes in Police Brutality). This similar situation also has a familiar resemblance to the

Ferguson riots happening after the shooting of Brown. As you can see from past events this

problem has been running and recurring through decades of our countrys history.

You may be asking yourself, What can I do to help? Human rights watch gives a great

list of things you can do. Many of the things suggested include contacting your state's

government and people of high positions about how different problems and how to get them to

help. An example is Write to your city government and urge it to require your police department

to create and utilize "early warning" or "at-risk" systems to identify officers who are the subjects

of repeated complaints or civil lawsuits alleging misconduct. A small percentage of officers often

taint an entire police force because police superiors do not act to hold them accountable by

supervising, disciplining, or dismissing them when appropriate. An effective early warning

system could make a difference.(Human Research Watch). This can help bring attention to the
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government to think about the people's safety and what the people of the city want that they are

not getting. Another helpful suggestion given is Write to your U.S. Representative or Senator,

urging them to condition federal grants to police departments on the department's' creation of

effective accountability systems. On April 15, 1999, Attorney General Janet Reno described the

components of such a system, using the same standard as set out in recent consent decrees

between the Justice Department and two police departments: Complaints procedures must be

accessible; Internal affairs units must conduct thorough and fair investigations; When complaints

are sustained, discipline must be applied swiftly; etc.(Human Rights Watch). If everyone took

the time to contact their cities about this it could make a huge impact on the situation.

Not only does police misconduct lead to mistrust and uneasiness in the community, it also

may lead to things such as lawsuits and reforms. In some municipalities, civil rights lawsuits

have resulted in findings of patterns of misconduct by officers. Where a department exhibits a

pattern of violating the civil rights of citizens through the misconduct of its officers, state and/or

federal courts may issue consent decrees. These decrees give the issuing court or an assigned

judicial officer oversight of the department and power to inquire into its officers conduct, its

policies, and to direct actions to be taken to address the misconduct.(Criminal Defense Lawyer).

I believe the more people take these events of misconduct to court the faster the problem may

fade away. City officials, community group leaders, and police departments may also enter into

Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), in which they agree on steps to prevent and address

police misconduct. Often these MOUs are reached with the assistance of a mediator or other

third party who facilitates the discussions. A common feature of an MOU is a mechanism to

increase officers public accountability by creating a body to which aggrieved citizens can bring

complaints about possible misconduct.(Criminal Defense Lawyer). These MOUs are a good
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thing for the community to bring everyone together and address the problems at hand and also to

bring understanding to all those involved. It seems to most the court action would add extra

trouble but it could actually be very beneficial to the cause.

A man by the name of Frank Serpico who was a victim of police misconduct by being

shot in the face by an officer and surviving agrees that the police force is still out of control.

While referencing Michael Brown, Serpico states Today the combination of an excess of deadly

force and near-total lack of accountability is more dangerous than ever: Most cops today can pull

out their weapons and fire without fear that anything will happen to them, even if they shoot

someone wrongfully. All a police officer has to say is that he believes his life was in danger, and

hes typically absolved. What do you think that does to their psychology as they patrol the streets

this sense of invulnerability? The famous old saying still applies: Power corrupts, and absolute

power corrupts absolutely. (And we still dont know how many of these incidents occur each

year; even though Congress enacted the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act 20

years ago, requiring the Justice Department to produce an annual report on the use of excessive

force by law enforcement officers, the reports were never issued.) According to him the

amount of power an officer possesses can easily go to their head. Serpico also says In some

ways, matters have gotten even worse. The gulf between the police and the communities they

serve has grown wider. Mind you, I dont want to say that police shouldnt protect themselves

and have access to the best equipment. Police officers have the right to defend themselves with

maximum force, in cases where, say, they are taking on a barricaded felon armed with an assault

weapon. But when you are dealing every day with civilians walking the streets, and you bring in

armored vehicles and automatic weapons, its all out of proportion. It makes you feel like youre

dealing with some kind of subversive enemy. The automatic weapons and bulletproof vest may
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protect the officer, but they also insulate him from the very society hes sworn to protect. All that

firepower and armor puts an even greater wall between the police and society, and solidifies that

us-versus-them feeling. I agree with this statement in that the community and police force need

to have a tighter connection in order to properly function and create a form of trust.
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Works Cited

England, Deborah C. "Police Misconduct | Criminal Law."


CriminalDefenseLawyer.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
https://www.policemisconduct.net/a-police-misconduct-victims-guide/
Serpico, Frank, Karl Sharro, Garrett M. Graff, and Maria Konnikova.
"The Police Are Still Out of Control." POLITICO Magazine. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2014/10/the-police-are-still-out-of-control-112160
"Police Misconduct | Police Corruption | CIP."
California Innocence Project. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
https://californiainnocenceproject.org/issues-we-face/police-misconduct/
ThinkProgress. "What Has Changed About Police Brutality In America, From Rodney King To

Michael Brown."
ThinkProgress. ThinkProgress, 08 Aug. 2016. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.
https://thinkprogress.org/what-has-changed-about-police-brutality-in-america-from-

rodney-king-to-michael-brown-e6b29a2feff8#.ljbau7fb4
"Police Brutality in the U.S."
Police Brutality in the U.S. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2017.

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