Police Brutality: Excessive Use Of Force

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“We’re not anti-police…We’re anti-police brutality” (Al Sharpton). In many cities around the country now, the law enforcement; such as police officers, are abusing their authority in significant ways. What is police brutality? Police brutality is a form of police misconduct in which officers engage in an excessive use of force. The definition of “excessive use of force” is a bit fluid, but it’s generally taken to mean force well beyond what would be necessary to cope with a situation. In other words as Rachael Smith describes it; “officers using more force than necessary to control a situation. Police brutality can include officers using excessive physical force or can include the use of a weapon against a civilian.” While law enforcement officers are allowed to use force, they are only allowed to use the force that is necessary. …show more content…
Their use is allowed, but only to the extent necessary to control a situation. When someone thinks about a police officer; what should come to mind is a hero or a protector, not an enemy. Although some people may feel that way, it may not be the case now because people are afraid to even talk to them. Police brutality brings a lot of attention to low income communities and certain minorities, which makes conflict theory the best base for this research paper because it emphasizes an important set of unequal social dynamics and class motives that are minimized through solidarity perspectives. Police officers continue to mishandle and abuse their given authority by acting in a brutal manner in order to control or apprehend

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