James Regas December 15, 1996
Outline
Thesis: But, because some officers use these extreme measures when it is not needed, police brutality should be addressed.
I. Police Brutality A. Racism as a cause
II. Police Brutality is not a problem A. Quotes from authorities B. Statistics of Declining Brutality
III. Stopping Police Brutality A. Police Stopping themselves B. Public Stopping Police
IV. Conclusion A. Reword Thesis
Police work is dangerous. Sometimes police put in situations that excessive force is needed. But, because some officers use these extreme measures in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed. The use of excessive force may or may not be large problem, but it should be looked into by both the police and the public.
For those people who feel racism is not a factor in causing the use of excessive force, here is a startling fact. In Tampa Bay, Florida, five men died while in the custody of the Tampa Bay police Department (C.C. 27). The thing is, the Tampa Bay Police Department is made up of mostly white officers, but of the five men who died, none where white. Four of the five men that died where African Americans, and the other man was a Mexican National.
If the incident in Tampa Bay does not show a person racism, this event might. In New York City, an average of seven Latin Americans were killed a year between 1986 to 1989, but in 1990, that number increased greatly. In that year, twenty-three Latin Americans were killed by police gunfire.
When asked how he felt about racism being involved in police brutality, Yussuf Naimkly of the University of Regina commented:
"Excessive police force against blacks has always been tolerated, because as a formally enslaved minority African Americans are trapped in a cultural
Bibliography: Berands, Neal. Police Brutality: Recognizing Stereotypes Dudley, William. Police Brutality. San Diego: Greenhaven Press, 1991 Skalnick, Jerome H. and James J. Frye. Above the Law: Police and the use of Excessive Force "Suspects in Question" Time. 5 April 1993:31