Abstract
For a long time now, police brutality has become a simmering debate over the injustices perpetrated by law enforcement officers. From the gunning down of an unarmed teenager Michael Brown to the excessively militarized response by the police, these events have disturbed old wounds. Furthermore, the demonstrations in the aftermath of Brown’s death and the lack of indictment of Officer Darren Wilson for the role he played in the shooting, the Fergusson events have created a strong public outcry the world over. There is more call for action than ever before on the need to eradicate police brutality. This essay, therefore, highlights the issue of police brutality. It also discusses the impacts of such abuse on the individual as well as the society. Moreover, it gives the opinions of experts with regard to the issue and proposes an alternative solution.
Power Abuse in Law Enforcement
Generally, the society has granted law enforcement officers a lot of power over civilians. This power enables the police to maintain tranquillity and to keep the social order. Furthermore, they have an enormous amount of freedom to exercise their judgment regarding the laws to enforce at what time and against whom. However, some law enforcers begin to view themselves not only as enforcers but also as the law itself. This situation leads to excessive use of force by the officer involved. At times it also involves wrongful prosecution and even imprisonment of the innocent victim (Skolnick & Fyfe, 1993).
Types of power abuse
There are different ways through which police officers often abuse their powers.
The presence of the officer- Officers often learn to display a “command presence.” Most of the time, they keep eye contact, they observe non-verbal body language and keep an authoritative stance. For this reason, an officer might intimidate a victim merely by his or her presence while standing with hands on the gun. To add on to that, if the officer gives “the look,” the victim becomes totally consumed with fear.
Spill-over of authority- Officers typically give orders and directions that they expect to be followed. If a subject fails to comply, then he or she would face dire consequences. However, some officers seemingly cannot separate their professional life from personal life. In the event of conflicts in their personal lives, they might perceive it as a challenge to their authority, dominance or power. Such situations can lead to officers overstepping their mandates.
Continuum in the use of force- In practice, law enforcers normally get training on the utilization of force continuum. They are required to only use the necessary amount of force to control a suspect or the situation. This continuum starts with the presence of the officer, verbal direction and light hand techniques. However, if the suspect is still resistant, they officer is allowed to escalate to strong hand techniques all the way to lethal force. In the case of abusive officers, they can resort to such techniques in the home. Such a continuum more often than not involves verbal, psychological, emotional, physical and even sexual violence. But most abusers normally use threats and intimidation to control the victims (Garner, Schade, Hepburn, & Buchanan, 1995)
Power in the Criminal Justice system- Police officers working in the emergency services systems have connections with medical providers, social service providers, victim advocates, prosecutors and other court personnel. Such people have a lot of influence in the system and are very convincible. Furthermore, law enforcers have undergone training on how to behave not only at crime scenes but also within the courtroom. When an officer is in the wrong, it becomes very difficult to prosecute him. He has already established good rapports with officials within the criminal justice system, and the colleagues are more likely to give favorable witness in his favor.
Surveillance- When a law enforcer identifies a suspect, he or she begins surveillance to gain information or to find probable cause for arrest. However, some officers stalk suspects. Stalking is a perversion of surveillance. Officers who stalk suspects physically, through telephones, or even electronically infringe on the victim’s right to privacy. It is better to allow the victim to have knowledge that he or she is being monitored. In that sense, victims will correct their behaviour to avoid punishment or disapproval.
Effect on the individual
Excessive use of force by law enforcers has many negative effects both on the physical and psychological health of the victim. When officers decide to batter a victim, it can lead to physical injury. Such injuries can involve breakage of bones, severe wounds, and injury to internal organs. Worse still, brain damage can occur. In extreme cases, victims have even lost their lives because of excessive beating. In case victims survive the physical abuse, they are left with a lot of psychological trauma. This trauma can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder which might lead to depression, drug abuse and alcoholism.
Effects on society
Furthermore, blacks are always stereotyped even by white civilians. They are views as high potential criminals. The situation leads to intolerance and hatred among the races, and in some cases, violence occurs. Another effect of police brutality is that it creates a culture of fear in the cities. Whenever people see law enforcement, they begin to freak out. As a result, they are less likely to interact or report some issues to the police out of fear of victimization (Franklin, Boyd-Franklin & Kelly, 2006).
Expert opinions
Mary Haberfeld is a former lieutenant with the Israeli national police. She has studied police brutality for a period of over 10 years and is a professor of criminal justice. She claims that there is no rise in police brutality. The number such occurrences have remained relatively constant. What has happened is that there is now more media coverage. This huge coverage is as a result of the proliferation of smartphones. With these devices, people can now record events as they happen and share them through social networks (El-Ghobashy, 2012). Lorrel Friddel, an associate professor of criminology at the University of South Florida emphasizes the issue of racial profiling. She claims that minority communities are generally stereotyped.
Actions as a society
As a society, police brutality is highly reviled. Many people including leaders have voiced concerns and the need for reforms against police brutality. However, governments have taken little strides in improving the situation. Current policies are not effective enough to ensure that errant officers are effectively punished. The law seems to protect officers who sometimes go unpunished. The most severe punishment most of them get is suspensions or loss of their jobs. They hardly ever go to jail. They larger community mostly resort to riots and protests. These have very little effect in curbing the situation. In fact the riots lead to more arrests and police brutality.
Alternative action
One alternative action that can help eradicate police abuse is through increasing the federal government’s supervision of police conduct. Currently, the state and local governments run the daily operations of police departments. More involvement of the federal government will ensure that properly trained officers are hired and meet required qualifications. The department of justice too should be more active in laying down expectations for officers’ conduct nationwide. It should also ensure that all departments comply with the set standards and thorough punishment applied to any breach. These laws can be very effective only if the program is well funded and adhered to.
Conclusion
Indeed, police abuse of the law has caused untold suffering to many. People have lost lives and scores injured. Communities have developed hatred towards law enforcement and other communities alike. The government needs to take quick action before the situation gets out of hand. Civilians also need to find proper avenues of airing their grievances without resorting to violent riots that cause loss of life and injury through police brutality.
References
Chan, J. B. (1997). Changing police culture: Policing in a multicultural society. Cambridge University Press.
The book gives a historical insight on police brutality faced my earlier minority communities. It then gives some recommendation on how the police culture can be reformed to serve a multicultural society.
El-Ghobashy, T. (2012). Lethal Force Is Defended in Shooting. WSJ. Retrieved 11 March 2016, from http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10000872396390444184704577587702029448014
This is an article that was posted in the wall street journal on August 13, 2012. It discusses how police brutality is covered up by the authorities. Furthermore it claims that the reason why more coverage is currently being achieved, is the technological advancements. These technologies make the sharing of information easier.
Franklin, A. J., Boyd-Franklin, N., & Kelly, S. (2006). Racism and invisibility: Race-related stress, emotional abuse and psychological trauma for people of colour. Journal of Emotional Abuse, 6(2-3), 9-30.
The journal highlights the issue of racism in the enforcement of justice. It also showcases how such selective abuse causes trauma for people of colour and the effects of the ordeal.
Garner, J. H., Schade, T., Hepburn, J., & Buchanan, J. (1995). Measuring the continuum of force used by and against the police. Criminal Justice Review, 20(2), 146-168.
This is a review of criminal justice. It gives an in-depth analysis of the continuum of force used by the police department. Also, it discusses the consequences of each step within the continuum and the general effect.
Skolnick, J. H., & Fyfe, J. J. (1993). Above the law: Police and the excessive use of force (pp. 43-48). New York: Free Press.
