This paper explores the problem of police brutality with a view to fostering positive change that includes the following general goals: creation of awareness on the chronic problem of police brutality; reduction of police violence-related deaths; improvement of the cooperation between civilians and police; reduction of racially-driven police brutality. These objectives are emerge from the need to end police brutality (The United States Department of Justice, 2015; Hill, 2015) However, the goals of this paper are informed by the fact that the first step in solving the problem of police brutality is to underline the existence of the problem and explore it in a manner that emphasizes the need for change. In this regard, the suggested policies will include an investigative component. The first goals of the investigation will be to underline the problem by investigating the cases of police brutality to determine the frequency with which they arise and the prevailing discriminatory patterns of arrest. Secondly it will act as a continuous appraisal to determine whether the policies are working.
The objectives of this initiative are related to the goals highlighted in this paper. They are ambitious in this regard including showing the need to foster positive policy changes with regards to police brutality. However, within the scope of this research, the objectives are realistic. They are as follows:
There are several measures that will be employed to determine whether the objectives are met. First, there will be collection of data on police arrests on an annual basis. Through the department of justice, data collected will be analyzed to determine whether there are improvements. The benchmark for the first objective is a 99.9% reduction in cases of police brutality. With regards to the second objective, the policy effort will involve reviewing the police training curriculum as well as the implementation of yearly surveys on police academy graduates to determine the extent of their knowledge and application of teachings on police brutality and racial profiling. The benchmark for this objective is the same as that of the first objective. For the third objective, the measure will involve determining repeat offences on brutality or racial profiling. The benchmark is to have no repeat offences.
This policy has various criteria. First of all, there is the issue of cost. This component includes the funds required to implement the policies. The cost is estimated to be $120 annually. There is also need for manpower for the training as well as conducting the annual survey. The benefit from this research is that it will contribute to positive police behavior. The study is viable because its scope is considerably manageable. It is also likely to be effective because it has a clear set of objectives as well as measures. Continuous appraisal will check for improvements. The risk with these policy suggestions is that they might not appeal to congress especially because of the large budget involved.
References
Hill, S. (2015, July 02). Police Brutality Statistics: US Police Killings to Reach 1,100 by 2015's
End: Report. Latin Post. Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.latinpost.com/articles/63569/20150702/police-brutality-statistics-killings-reach-1-100-2015s-end-report.htm
Rosenfeld, S. (2014, December 6). 15 reasons American’s police are brutal. AlterNet. Retrieved
March 15, 2016. From http://www.alternet.org/civil-liberties/15-reasons-americas-police-are-so-brutal
Sinyangwe, S. (2015, May 15). Why do US police keep killing unarmed black men? BBC.
Retrieved March 15, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32740523
The United States Department of Justice. (2015, August 6). Addressing police misconduct laws
enforced by the Department of Justice. The United States Department of Justice. Retrieved from http://www.justice.gov/crt/addressing-police-misconduct-laws-enforced-department-justice
