Police Brutality Definition
Police brutality is a phrase commonly used to describe excessive force and/or verbal attacks by police officers against citizens.
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Excessive Force
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Police officers are allowed to use force to apprehend suspects and protect themselves. However, they are supposed to use the least amount of force practicable to control the situation and accomplish the goal. There is no precise definition of excessive force, and it is evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Constitutional Rights
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The use of police brutality is a violation of a suspect's constitutional rights under the 5th amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
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Racial Profiling
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According to University of Maryland Professor Katheryn K. Russell, police brutality has been portrayed as a problem suffered by African Americans. She goes on to note that African Americans are being blamed for the problem. However, according to Professor Russell, most killings and injuries in police brutality cases occurred when the victim was innocent and did not provoke the officer.
Comfort in the Community
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New York University School of Law Professor Derrick Bell suggests that police brutality would occur less often if police officers were more familiar with--and comfortable in--the neighborhoods that they work in. Professor Bell believes that police brutality occurs because police officers fear members of the communities that they work in.
Laws Against Reporting
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Many states of laws inflict strict punishments for people that file false complaints against police officers. These laws sometimes act as a deterrent to people that believe they are the victim of police brutality. That's true because they may be convicted of a crime if their allegations are not believed.
Possible Solution
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A possible solution for the problem of police brutality are citizen review boards. These boards would allow citizens to inject their opinions and definitions of excessive force into the review of police conduct.
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