Define Police Brutality
Police brutality, a form of police misconduct, happens all around the world. In the United States, it has come to light more in recent years, after attacks such as the infamous Rodney King assault in 1993. Police brutality takes many forms and is hard to prosecute because of the laws protecting police forces.
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Historical Background
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Police brutality was first reported in 1931 in the"Report on Lawlessness in Law Enforcement," ordered during the Hoover Administration.
Physical Abuse
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Physical abuse or physical police brutality is the use of excessive force to subdue a suspect, and can take the form of beatings, choking or punching the victim. There have also been cases of sodomization using a police baton.
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Mental Abuse
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Psychological intimidation is also a form of police brutality. It consists of imparting fear to a suspect, either by threatening detention or insinuating the possibility of a beating or other type of physical abuse. This can happen during questioning or arrest.
Public Abuse
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Police brutality during riots is more common, as the line between containing and abusing a large group is very thin. The excessive use of tear gas or the shooting of rounds near or against a crowd can be considered forms of police brutality if they were not actually needed to control people.
Other Forms of Abuse
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Some consider restraining a suspect longer than necessary or preventing somebody from contacting a lawyer or a family member to be forms of police brutality. This is often accompanied by verbal abuse or intimidation and meant to "break down" a person so he will confess.
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References
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