Amanda Winter
University of Phoenix
October 7, 2011
Police misconduct can happen in various ways in the criminal justice community.
Police Brutality Police brutality is a type of police misconduct. This type of police misconduct can sometimes be confused with the police use of force. “Police brutality is a civil rights violation that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force with regards to a civilian that is more than necessary” (US Legal Inc., 2001-2011). A police officer’s use of force varies depending on a situation. For example, if a person is resisting arrest then the officer is allowed to use enough force to arrest that person. When police use brutality they are breaking two of the amendments in the constitution, the Fifth Amendment and the fourteenth amendment. The Fifth Amendment states that it provides protection from abuse from authorities and the fourteenth amendment states that every state has to provide the citizens with equal protection.
Police Corruption Police corruption occurs when an officer does something, usually illegal, for personal gain. Corruption of an officer can start off with something extremely simple like a diner owner giving an office a free meal. But later that free meal can turn into the owner calling in a favor from the officer. Now even though that may seem harmless, there are other types of corruption that are worse. There are drugs, monetary gain and so on. Police corruption is also considered a violation of the civil rights of citizens.
Police Misconduct Police misconduct is an extremely broad category. It covers “deliberately obtaining false confessions; false arrest; creation and use of falsified evidence, including false testimony; false imprisonment; intimidation; police brutality; police corruption; political repression; racial profiling; sexual abuse; and surveillance abuse” (US Legal Inc., 2001-2011) Misconduct means that officers do things that against the
References: US Legal, Inc. (2001-2011). Police Brutality Law & Legal Definition. Retrieved from http://definitions.uslegal.com/p/police-brutality/ US Legal, Inc. (2001-2011). Police Misconduct Law & Legal Definition. Retrieved from http://definitions.uslegal.com/p/police-misconduct/