Officers contend that they “focus their efforts on minority neighborhoods, simply because such areas tend to have higher crime rates” (“Police Brutality,” n.d., p. 6). Police say they they feel that they need to focus on minority areas due to the fact that most are close to or in poverty - and due to this the crime rates tend to be higher. But the fact is, police target minorities such as African American and Latino populations. Race seems to play a role in the way that police handle the public. Joseph Capista, a lecturer at Towson University contends that, “We live in an antebellum society in terms of racial justice” (“The Roots of a Riot”, 2015, p. 3). In other words, Capista is making the point that times have not changed much concerning the topic of race. Police are permitted to use a tactic where they can pull someone over if they seem suspicious. The problem is, “Police have targeted young men from minority groups - indeed, about 80% of the 4.4 million people stopped by NYPD police between 2004 and 2012 were of African American or Hispanic descent” (“Police Brutality,” n.d., p. 4). This is not right as it violates the 4th and 14th amendment of the US constitution which, “protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government” (U.S. Const. amend. IV.) and “addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV.), respectively. Clearly, targeting minorities because police deem that they are suspicious is not a right way to deal with the public. When confronted with wrongdoing, police try to reject or minimize accusations. The article, Police Brutality suggests that, “Police departments cover up allegations of abuse and brutality in order to protect their officers” (2). If officers commit a crime, they should have the same precautions as anyone else. Since this has proved to be a severe issue, review boards for this problem were
Officers contend that they “focus their efforts on minority neighborhoods, simply because such areas tend to have higher crime rates” (“Police Brutality,” n.d., p. 6). Police say they they feel that they need to focus on minority areas due to the fact that most are close to or in poverty - and due to this the crime rates tend to be higher. But the fact is, police target minorities such as African American and Latino populations. Race seems to play a role in the way that police handle the public. Joseph Capista, a lecturer at Towson University contends that, “We live in an antebellum society in terms of racial justice” (“The Roots of a Riot”, 2015, p. 3). In other words, Capista is making the point that times have not changed much concerning the topic of race. Police are permitted to use a tactic where they can pull someone over if they seem suspicious. The problem is, “Police have targeted young men from minority groups - indeed, about 80% of the 4.4 million people stopped by NYPD police between 2004 and 2012 were of African American or Hispanic descent” (“Police Brutality,” n.d., p. 4). This is not right as it violates the 4th and 14th amendment of the US constitution which, “protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government” (U.S. Const. amend. IV.) and “addresses citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV.), respectively. Clearly, targeting minorities because police deem that they are suspicious is not a right way to deal with the public. When confronted with wrongdoing, police try to reject or minimize accusations. The article, Police Brutality suggests that, “Police departments cover up allegations of abuse and brutality in order to protect their officers” (2). If officers commit a crime, they should have the same precautions as anyone else. Since this has proved to be a severe issue, review boards for this problem were