Police Brutality: The Use Of Excessive Force

Police brutality is the use of excessive force by means of intimidation by a police officer. Throughout the years, police have always abused the power entrusted to them. However, it hasn’t taken the country by storm like it has in recent years. There have been many accusations made about the use of excessive force by the U.S police department. For example, in July 2014, on Staten Island, NY, Eric Garner died while being placed under arrest while the police officer was implementing a “chokehold” as a form of restraint (Wihbey and Kille). One month later, in Ferguson, Missouri, Michael Brown was shot and killed by a police officer. In these cases, neither of the police officers received indictments. There was one case in April 2015, where Freddie Gray died in a van, while in police …show more content…
In 2002, there were 26,556 complaints about the use of unnecessary force used by police officers. In other words, “33 complaints per agency, and 6.6 complaints per 100 full-time sworn officers.” (Justice Department) Although, “overall rates were higher among large municipal police departments, with 45 complaints per agency, and 9.5 complaints per 100 full-time sworn officers.” (Justice Department) 1.7% of all contacts result in police threats or use of force, while 20% of arrests do (Police-Public Contact Survey (PPCS) and Bureau of Justice Statistics). In 2012, a study was conducted which analyzed the patterns of behavior of one large police department, more than 1,000 officers. They found that a “small proportion of officers are responsible for a large proportion of force incidents…” (Criminal Justice Policy Review) They also found that officers who frequently use force differ in important and significant ways from officers who use less force less often or not at all (Criminal Justice Policy