How to Spot Police Abuse

If you are worried about a police officer taking unfair advantage of their power, new technology and good citizen practices make it possible to document and report abusive actions by officers on patrol. In the past, it was hard to prove cases of police abuse, but more and more citizens are empowered to take cases to trial if they feel their rights were infringed on, and most officers are taking notice.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Take an extra moment to observe any ongoing operations you see on the street. When you happen to see police acting to arrest an individual, keep a discrete eye out for any problem activity.
2. Visit areas of tension between police and the community. You will likely not see any evidence of police abuse where there is no tension, in upscale suburbs or shopping districts. Police abusing their power is generally spotted in areas where officers feel they are justified in using excessive force.
3. Do social networking. Reports of police abuse frequently come from the street level, as reports circulate among neighbors. Being an informed and an involved part of your community will help you protect citizens from abuse by overzealous police officers.
4. Use community cameras. Random video cameras catch all kinds of crime: including abuse by police. Cameras are unbiased and impartial. They report what is happening. Utilizing these "eyes of the community" will help observers assess what actually happened in any scenario.
5. Do your own research firsthand. Citizens like Brett Darrow of St. Louis, Missouri, use their own cameras to film encounters with police officers. As in Darrow's case, a camera can send an abusive out-of-control police officer packing. Most chiefs will not tolerate a black mark on their department from an obviously out-of-order officer. These cameras, as stated by users, do not constitute entrapment; rather, they are a legitimate way of protecting peaceable citizens from police abuse.