Police are using excessive amounts of force causing “a trail of bruised bodies, broken bones and shattered lives” to lie behind every case of police brutality(“Denver pays $1.34 million to settle police brutality cases”). Countless cases of police brutality have been reported, but some go unnoticed. The majority of cases involve a white officer targeting a African-American male. In the end of these cases the victim is injured or dead. Although some claim police use the appropriate force based on the situation, police need more specialized and advanced training and more ethical leadership, to police corruption and break racial bias.
Police officers need advanced training to help them keep their emotions in check when in the field. Police may feel threatened when caught in a dangerous situation. Being threatened can activate the rage circuit in the brain. The rage circuit is controlled by the “orbital cortex wherein decisions are made about how you should respond to a particular stimulus”(Shermer, 2015). In the cortex is where the decision to act on impulse or show restraint is made. When the rage circuit overrides the cortex people act entirely on impulse leading to violence. This may explain why cops strike out against suspects. Many emotions are involved in threatening situations, for example, “Fear causes us to pull back and …show more content…
In the Milwaukee Police Department’s document on Standard Operating Procedures for Use of Force it states,“The use of force by a police member must be objectively reasonable”(Flynn, 2015). The “Objective reasonableness is judged from the perspective of a reasonable police member”(Flynn, 2015). This shows that the use of force is up to the officer's discretion. Corruption can make a difference in the decision the officer makes. The law enforcement member may feel that loyalty to to subculture is more important to him/her than protocol and
Police officers need advanced training to help them keep their emotions in check when in the field. Police may feel threatened when caught in a dangerous situation. Being threatened can activate the rage circuit in the brain. The rage circuit is controlled by the “orbital cortex wherein decisions are made about how you should respond to a particular stimulus”(Shermer, 2015). In the cortex is where the decision to act on impulse or show restraint is made. When the rage circuit overrides the cortex people act entirely on impulse leading to violence. This may explain why cops strike out against suspects. Many emotions are involved in threatening situations, for example, “Fear causes us to pull back and …show more content…
In the Milwaukee Police Department’s document on Standard Operating Procedures for Use of Force it states,“The use of force by a police member must be objectively reasonable”(Flynn, 2015). The “Objective reasonableness is judged from the perspective of a reasonable police member”(Flynn, 2015). This shows that the use of force is up to the officer's discretion. Corruption can make a difference in the decision the officer makes. The law enforcement member may feel that loyalty to to subculture is more important to him/her than protocol and