Police brutality is a social issue that has plagued America for decades. One of the most infamous cases of police brutality is the Rodney King case. On March 3, 1991, four Los Angeles Police Department (L.A.P.D.) officers brutally beat Rodney King during a traffic stop. A bystander captured the beating on tape and the four officers involved faced criminal charges, including excessive force. The video broadcasted nationwide during the trial, but despite the evidence, a predominantly white jury acquitted the four officers of all charges (Biography). While the purpose of law enforcement is to protect and serve, there needs to be more regulation of police officers because police are targeting minorities, police brutality is increasing, and police
…show more content…
The settlements ranged from $7,500 to $8.5 million. In addition, a report revealed that families who settled before going to court earned a larger settlement. The city or state that employed the officer pays the settlement (Fisher, Higham, and Hawkins). As previously stated, each family does not receive compensation for the injustice of their loved ones, for example, the family of Harold Phillip. In July 2009, Officer Stephen Merchant shot and killed unarmed Harold Phillip outside of his house in Colfax, Louisiana after misinterpreting roughhousing between Harold and his sister as domestic assault. Merchant pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served five years in prison. The family filed a civil lawsuit against Merchant and Colfax, but did not receive any money due to a disreputable attorney …show more content…
This year alone, police has killed over 300 people (Washington Post). The first step to eliminating police brutality is to punish the officers who commit these offences. A numerous amount of officers never receive conviction for their crimes, thus supporting the belief that this injustice is ok. Punishing the officers will set the example needed to stop the crime. The next step to eliminating police brutality is to require all on –duty officers to wear a body cam. The surveillance will provide more protection and serve as evidence for each party involved. The final step is to require every officer to fill out a report each time the officer arrest a civilian and each time the officer kills a civilian and then submit the reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This will discourage officers from committing senseless acts of violence since there is a requirement for the officers to report and document each encounter they have with a
The settlements ranged from $7,500 to $8.5 million. In addition, a report revealed that families who settled before going to court earned a larger settlement. The city or state that employed the officer pays the settlement (Fisher, Higham, and Hawkins). As previously stated, each family does not receive compensation for the injustice of their loved ones, for example, the family of Harold Phillip. In July 2009, Officer Stephen Merchant shot and killed unarmed Harold Phillip outside of his house in Colfax, Louisiana after misinterpreting roughhousing between Harold and his sister as domestic assault. Merchant pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served five years in prison. The family filed a civil lawsuit against Merchant and Colfax, but did not receive any money due to a disreputable attorney …show more content…
This year alone, police has killed over 300 people (Washington Post). The first step to eliminating police brutality is to punish the officers who commit these offences. A numerous amount of officers never receive conviction for their crimes, thus supporting the belief that this injustice is ok. Punishing the officers will set the example needed to stop the crime. The next step to eliminating police brutality is to require all on –duty officers to wear a body cam. The surveillance will provide more protection and serve as evidence for each party involved. The final step is to require every officer to fill out a report each time the officer arrest a civilian and each time the officer kills a civilian and then submit the reports to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). This will discourage officers from committing senseless acts of violence since there is a requirement for the officers to report and document each encounter they have with a