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The Pros And Cons Of Police Reform

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In the United States, law enforcement continues to reform. Criticism is escalating to the belief that “policing [is] not [adapting] to best fulfill its duties to the public (Gale, part of Cengage Group).” Police reform is addressing issues through “gradual and radical methods (Gale, part of Cengage Group).” As a result, police and other law enforcement continue to experience retaliation with Black Lives Matter protests, including “Defunding the Police” and concerns with racial injustices. With notable police brutality, law enforcement is being placed under public scrutiny. However, the rising crime numbers elevate police duties and lower community safety, thereby the nation's, safety. With these new tensions, police are challenged daily with …show more content…

Police departments experience misconduct, including using excessive force, tampering with evidence, mishandling evidence, coerced confessions, sexual assault, lying on police reports, false imprisonment or arrest, and witness tampering and intimidation. Physical misconduct concerns continue to arise. George Floyd and Rodney King were victims of police brutality. George Floyd was suffocated after using counterfeit money. Rodney King was tased, beaten with a baton, and repeatedly kicked after failing to not immediately pull over during a traffic stop for speeding. Eric Garner died from the use of excessive force by a police officer, after being tackled and put in an illegal chokehold for selling illicit cigarettes. There are officers guilty of unjustified force, engagement in dangerous pursuits, and failure to justify pat-downs. Moreover, officers are using excessive force for subsidiary …show more content…

Arguably, police are not to take full blame for certain situations. Without the misbehavior of citizens, police would not need harsh force. If people followed the posted speed limit, a patrol officer would not need to conduct a traffic stop. If people did not use counterfeit money, the police would not have been called. If people did not abduct their children, lives would not have been put in danger. Police officers are trained to protect their jurisdiction. Police are trained to protect their jurisdiction, in some cases, the answer is relieving the suspect. While some police abused their power, not all police are deficient. Excessive force should not be used in a municipal situation, only those imposing a threat to society or the acting police officers. St. Louis Police Department, majorly short-staffed, had a major school shooting, “and what did the St. Louis Police Department do? Ran toward the shots, got up to the third floor, killed the shooter, took care of business, rescued all these kids," Branter-Smith said (Conklin). [Insert the millions

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“...Much of the recent crime increase threatens the vitality of America’s cities–and thousands of lives–it is not, in itself, the greatest danger in today’s war on cops. The greatest danger lies, rather, in the delegitimation of law and order itself’ (Mac Donald). In the book “The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe,” published in the year of 2016, author Heather Mac Donald provides credible evidence to expand on her viewpoint of our country’s current criminal crisis. In addition to “The War on Cops, Mac Donald has written two other books. Her works “Are Cops Racist?”

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According to the National Institute of Justice, there are 6.6 complaints per 100 police officers on the excessive force. However, 8 percent of these claims had real concrete evidence to back up their story to take disciplinary action against the police officer ("Police Use Of Force | National Institute Of Justice"). This is the most controversial issue that is happening in America right now. We see a lot of police officers use excessive force on innocent civilians too much. It happens everywhere in the United States, it will show up on the news, local news, newspapers and most importantly in social media.

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Police brutality is an ongoing dilemma in the United States and the current issue relating to it was Freddie Gray’s death in police custody. This was a very important incident that months later would lead to violent riots in

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When it comes to the topic of police reform, many agree that our country is long overdue for it, however the questions is how exactly do we, as a nation, go about changing one of the most rigid power structures that exist in the country. While some believe that reform must come from within the individually flawed police departments, others argue that the entire criminal justice system needs an overhaul. An analysis of Ta-Nehisi Coates essay “The Myth of Police Reform” reveals that the complex issues of police shootings of minors (especially African Americans) and how difficult it may be to change these problems. In “The Myth of Police Reform” the author exemplifies the use of logos, ethos and pathos therefore making the argument effective.

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Nowadays some police officers continue to abuse their authority which makes the community disappointed and confuse whether or not to trust a police officer. Everyone as a community expects for a law enforcement career employee to keep us safe and away from harm. Police officers should not be wasting their time with innocent citizens, if they have to use force on the criminal they must do it in a proper way, and lastly there must be a fair case. On August 9, 2014, and incident was reported in Ferguson, Missouri.

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In a viewpoint by Nicole Flatow titled “History Indicates Varied Results in Improving Police Brutality in America,” She believes that there has been little reforms regarding police brutality. Nicole argues for years, America has barely made any effort on improving the use of force by police officers. For example, victims such as Rodney King and Amadou Diallo, led to some reforms, but did not solve the violence of police brutality. With the beating of Rodney King that was captured on camera, it sparked massive outrage that led to a riot when the police officers received no charges. Because of the riots, it created a momentum for a reform of the police.

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Many police officers get off easily because they call it as self-defense, but it’s not. People being brutally beaten or killed, riots breaking out, mourning of neighborhoods, lawsuits against police departments all can be at stake of police officers using excessive force. This is part of the reason our country has been in an uproar. In the last few years’ police brutality has been at an all-time high. Because of it, movements have been started and protests have broken out.

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The Plague of the United States era, society is insistently assured by police and their apologist, is not the extensive abuse and other frequent misconduct by law enforcements officers, but the expanding “disrespect for authority” that is being encouraged by “liberals” and those more extensive individuals called “libertarians” The widespread media coverage of police brutality has become too common within our societies everyday life, thus causing destruction of the communities trust. Savage treatment is continually afflicted among African Americans as a replacement form of punishment. A substantial number of casualties of police brutality are African Americans, for instance during August 9th within a house of Brooklyn, an African American

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Most of the police officers misuse their positions in law enforcement, possibly due to “power trip”, and are no help to citizens. The allegations of brutality, in the case of Officer Johannes Mehserle, focused on whether or not the officer was guilty of a wrongful death towards Oscar Grant. According to officer Mehserle, he alleges that he thought the gun was his Taser, but instead was his handgun that shot Grant.

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In order to stop police brutality, systemic change is needed, including an overhaul of the criminal justice system, increased accountability for law enforcement officers who use excessive force, and a dismantling of the biases that perpetuate racism and

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Sadly, during the last few years the relationship between the community and its police has significantly deteriorated. This has been due to the way some officers have handled certain situations in which the use of violence or deadly force could have been avoided. Because of this, some sectors of the community no longer trust their police; such distrust has gotten to the point that they rather take matters into their own hands than calling them for help. Although not all officers misbehave and abuse their power “it only takes one bad apple to spoil the bunch”. The media has also contributed in promoting the idea that most cops are bad by transmitting, over and over, videos of police officers abusing their power.

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This report is showing light to the communities’ response to police brutality particularly in the black communities and also their encounters with police officers. Police brutality is physical violence and great cruelty demonstrated by a police officer. Police brutality and misconduct have existed for many decades and it even has been broadcasted in news stories over America, but nothing has changed. It has happened predominantly to African Americans in lower-income states. Police officers are given slaps on the wrist for taking a life or injuring an innocent person.

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While such mistreatment should not be prohibited, many law enforcement officers continue to apply force when unneeded. The Rodney King Riots, which demonstrated its excessive brutality towards an unarmed black victim, proves the lack of justification for such an action. Their abuse became known for its discrimination towards these racial communities, which continued to promote society’s civil unrest, through public rioting and retaliation towards the LAPD. As time progressed, police abuse during the 70s and 80s, became prevalent during the rise of punk rock and gang violence. The daily interference of law enforcement contributed to the long-term negative publicity by punk bands, such as Black Flag, as well as the daily shootings between the Crips and Bloods.

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Law enforcement agents are should behave to a standard that is greater than the average civilian. Police brutality comes from an abuse of power granted to the police. Police brutality is often drawn on by overreaction in certain situations drawn on by panic. Police using excessive force in the United States is a crucial dilemma and must be stopped.

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Police brutality will be an issue until a solution is created. Many individuals are victims of this form of assault on daily basis. The liberties held by law enforcement are challenged each time they perform their duties. Police officers should abide by the same laws that each citizen is expected to abide by. Although police officers are granted with the right to determine laws as constitutional, civilians are sometimes treated in ways that are beyond unlawful.

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