Police Brutality

Police officers are government officials who are appointed to enforce the law and maintain order in society. While placed in dangerous and stressful situations, a law enforcement official has been trained to administer the law in an unbiased way that will maintain the trust of the public and not violate a citizen’s rights (Cooper 1930). While police are trained for this there is still a major problem known as abuse of authority. Abuse of authority occurs when men and women in law enforcement disregard policies, rules, or laws in which they are trained and are to properly administer while on duty. One form of abuse of authority is police brutality. Police brutality is the use of excessive force by an officer in the form of physical abuse, verbal abuse, and through psychological intimidation (Mangan,2000).

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According to recent studies there are thousands of reports each year of officers who use excessive force and violate the human rights of their victims. In many cases police go too far when they excessively punch, kick, and beat people who pose no threat (Mangan, 2000). When this type of brutality occurs, it should be considered a criminal act and investigated as a crime.
When used properly, and as a last resort, I believe there are certain situations making it necessary for officers to use force. Law enforcment officials are trained and expected to use force anytime they believe their own or fellow officer’s life is in danger.
Law enforcement officers are in daily contact with individuals who are confrontational and trying to resist arrest. The officer faced with these challenges has only a moment annalyze the situation, and at times, has no other choice but to use force against the opposing person.
A common example of proper force would take place if police found someone operating a vehicle irratically. Once police had pulled