February 2001, Amadou Diallo, a twenty-two-year-old, was standing near his building in New York after returning from a meal. He was mistaken for a serial rapist by a group of police officers. Despite him being completely unarmed, the officers shot Amadou 49 times, 19 of them hitting him. His last words were, “Mom, I'm going to college”
Amadou’s story is just one of many instances of police misconduct and brutality. The police play a vital role in today’s society and justice system and are given total authority and power over the public to keep the streets safe.
It is this authority that is leading to the continued problem of police violence.
Police brutality in North America is one of the most serious human rights violations. Police officers have engaged in unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal chokings, and unnecessarily rough treatment motivated by discriminatory practices. Black adults are about five times more likely to be harassed and unnecessarily stopped by police because of their race or ethnicity (44% vs. 9%), and there are up to 1000 deaths due to police brutality. This violence erodes the public's trust and confidence in the justice and policing system. When individuals are victimized by law enforcement, especially if the abuse is not addressed
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The hiring system within the police force is resulting in undertrained cops and officers with histories of abuse and brutality to be joining the force. Many officers are hired with a lack of sufficient training on how and when to use force, leaving them unprepared to handle tense situations leading to police brutality. Many police organizations rehire police officers with histories of police misconduct, undermining efforts to address police brutality and restore public trust in law enforcement. Such officers may have demonstrated a pattern of abusive behavior, which can escalate into more serious incidents in the