Police Brutality: Possible Causes and Solutions

     Police brutality is a form of police misconduct which involves excessive violence by police members. According to Fox News,  in 2016, there were 57,180 officers who were assaulted by civilians. By contrast, in 2017, police fatally shot 987 people (Washington Post). This is 1% of those who assaulted the police in 2016. Out of the 987 people who were killed by police, 2% were unarmed black men and boys. This means that 98% were not. So, the role of racism in police brutality remains debatable. However, people in predominantly black communities continue to be deeply mistrustful of the police, and they are not imagining things. There is no doubt that the police acted abominably in the killings of Eric Garner, Walter Scott, and Philando Castle (The Daily Beast).
   
     What are some of the possible causes of police brutality? The police are expected by the public and their management to use force if they feel it is necessary, and they are legally permitted to do so. They feel as though they have a dangerous job and are therefore entitled to use violence when they see fit. If officers are facing personal issues or if they are young and/or inexperienced, they may be more likely to use force inappropriately (The Federalist). Some of them may take advantage of the fact that they can carry weapons to benefit their own egos. Civilians who may be engaging in possible unlawful behavior, on the other hand, may feel as though they have the right to that behavior because of their difficult circumstances. If there is one group who feels entitled to engage in dangerous behavior and another who feels as though there are no restrictions on what they can do to manage that behavior, then major conflict can ensue.

     What can be done to reduce the occurrence of police brutality?  There is an ongoing tradition that encourages police to develop a warrior mindset (The American Conservative). This leads them to think that there is always someone whose life is in jeopardy and so justifies excessive force. A possible solution is to reshape their thinking and training to fit the role of community guardian. This would allow more non-confrontational opportunities, which could build trust between the police and the people they serve (The American Conservative). The residents of communities with a heavy police presence can do their part to reduce police brutality by participating in local, state, and federal programs that develop job skills and promote personal responsibility. There probably aren't enough programs to meet this demand, so policies and funding would have to change and increase, respectively.      

   

Comments

  1. UnknownMarch 30, 2018 at 7:12 AM

    Your research is outstanding!! I found most interesting on how you stated how many police officers were assaulted by civilians each year, that was an interesting statistic. Your organization is great as well, laying out the causes of police brutality and how it could be prevented. I do agree with you on the fact that police men and women think their job is dangerous and must use force to do their job; however this is not the case as they injure 98% of unarmed black people. Great job on your research!!

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  2. UnknownMarch 30, 2018 at 2:56 PM

    I find it highly fascinating on the research you have gathered, definitely caught my eye and seeing the amount of people that were killed by police officers from only a year the number is high and heartbreaking. I never heard of a tradition for cops to develop their mindset before. I believe it should be done more often for officers to have a clear mindset and take responsibility for their actions as well. It is understandable that they feel pressured in these situations, but it is no excuse to shot an innocent civilian without giving out a protocol before using deadly if they refuse to cooperate.

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  3. Julie Quinn TACApril 2, 2018 at 6:21 AM

    While you have a lot of data here, I'm not sure it's all apples to apples. How was one determined "armed," for example? Is there justification for a police shooting if the civilian was holding a knife? A hammer? A phone? And while officers have often been assaulted by civilians (I think even a Real Housewife assaulted a police offer last year), aren't police trained to deescalate or even bring down a suspect in a way that doesn't cause a life-ending injury?
    I'd take those numbers from Fox News (hm) and compare them to .gov content and content from a source like the National Police Accountability Project and see what also corresponds?

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