On Police Misconduct
Abuse of authority is not a new idea. Existing since literally the dawn of civilization, it is easily recognized as human nature. Regardless, there has never been, and will never be, an excuse for combining power and malice. Police misconduct has been brought to the public’s attention with the relatively recent rise in availability of video recording. This analysis of police misconduct will examine cause, effect, and prevention.
Causes of police misconduct aren’t regarded as mysterious and individuals are sure to have their own opinion. Focusing on reasoning with significant evidential backing, racism, retribution and “power tripping” will be examined.
Racism is becoming, not more prevalent, but more noticed in America’s …show more content…
Martin claimed the ambulance failed to yield to his patrol car and that the driver flipped him an obscene gesture. The officer also stated that he was initially unaware of a patient being present in the ambulance (“Paramedic”). Yet he didn’t seem to care when it was mentioned to him: “‘And even after being informed that we had a patient,’ White said, ‘there was total disregard. So he started in a state of rage and simply escalated from that point,’” (“Paramedic”).
Assault, wrongful death of both human and animal life, and the financial implications of victim lawsuits are effects of police misconduct. These are obviously far reaching and felt by the whole of society -- not just individuals.
Wrongful death is the simple statement of “death occurred where it shouldn’t have”. It is (rightfully) usually attributed to people, although, it is important to note that pets are also frequently killed without cause.
A study conducted on the inside of police departments concluded that the majority of officers hold the opinion of it being unacceptable to use more force than legally allowed when an officer is physically attacked (Weisburd, et al). The accuracy of this conclusion is questionable considering fifteen percent of excessive force complaints claim firearms as the determining factor (“2010 Annual …show more content…
Although being preferred to homicide, it should still be eradicated from departments across the world. The previously mentioned study also concludes that it isn’t rare for officers to use more force than necessary when making an arrest (Weisburd, et al). On top of that, it reportedly isn’t unusual for misconduct to go unreported by fellow officers (Weisburd, et al).
A large irony exists between victims of police misconduct and their respective aggressors. When a victim (rightfully) files a suit against the department, withholding negative press, all that’s lost is tax dollars allocated to the said department. Police pass on the cost of brutality to the very citizens they protect. An example being the previously mentioned settlement between the Oklahoma City Police Department and Billy Randall McKinney for seventy-five thousand dollars (Clay). In the end, victims like McKinney are unfortunately hurting society at the fault of those who “protect and serve”.
Prevention of police misconduct requires the removal of its cause which in-turn mitigates any effects to society. Body cameras, internal affairs divisions, and external review boards can largely contribute to the
Abuse of authority is not a new idea. Existing since literally the dawn of civilization, it is easily recognized as human nature. Regardless, there has never been, and will never be, an excuse for combining power and malice. Police misconduct has been brought to the public’s attention with the relatively recent rise in availability of video recording. This analysis of police misconduct will examine cause, effect, and prevention.
Causes of police misconduct aren’t regarded as mysterious and individuals are sure to have their own opinion. Focusing on reasoning with significant evidential backing, racism, retribution and “power tripping” will be examined.
Racism is becoming, not more prevalent, but more noticed in America’s …show more content…
Martin claimed the ambulance failed to yield to his patrol car and that the driver flipped him an obscene gesture. The officer also stated that he was initially unaware of a patient being present in the ambulance (“Paramedic”). Yet he didn’t seem to care when it was mentioned to him: “‘And even after being informed that we had a patient,’ White said, ‘there was total disregard. So he started in a state of rage and simply escalated from that point,’” (“Paramedic”).
Assault, wrongful death of both human and animal life, and the financial implications of victim lawsuits are effects of police misconduct. These are obviously far reaching and felt by the whole of society -- not just individuals.
Wrongful death is the simple statement of “death occurred where it shouldn’t have”. It is (rightfully) usually attributed to people, although, it is important to note that pets are also frequently killed without cause.
A study conducted on the inside of police departments concluded that the majority of officers hold the opinion of it being unacceptable to use more force than legally allowed when an officer is physically attacked (Weisburd, et al). The accuracy of this conclusion is questionable considering fifteen percent of excessive force complaints claim firearms as the determining factor (“2010 Annual …show more content…
Although being preferred to homicide, it should still be eradicated from departments across the world. The previously mentioned study also concludes that it isn’t rare for officers to use more force than necessary when making an arrest (Weisburd, et al). On top of that, it reportedly isn’t unusual for misconduct to go unreported by fellow officers (Weisburd, et al).
A large irony exists between victims of police misconduct and their respective aggressors. When a victim (rightfully) files a suit against the department, withholding negative press, all that’s lost is tax dollars allocated to the said department. Police pass on the cost of brutality to the very citizens they protect. An example being the previously mentioned settlement between the Oklahoma City Police Department and Billy Randall McKinney for seventy-five thousand dollars (Clay). In the end, victims like McKinney are unfortunately hurting society at the fault of those who “protect and serve”.
Prevention of police misconduct requires the removal of its cause which in-turn mitigates any effects to society. Body cameras, internal affairs divisions, and external review boards can largely contribute to the