Issues plaguing law enforcement
Students Name
Law enforcement is allowed to use force under specific circumstances, such as self-defense. The use of force in law enforcement during an arrest is justified when the police use force to prevent escape. The officer can use force if they believe that the suspect possesses a significant threat to physical injury or death. However, the use of force does not have an agreed-upon definition on a universal level. Incidents where police use force on suspects has inflamed communities. The incidents are always dealt with a rush of judgment where the leaders face criticism over the officers’ actions and department policies (Alpert and Dunham,2014).
The incidents are often viewed on a surface level; hence they appear unjustified. Moreover, some incidents are often backed up by outcries that push for change in the law that governs the deadly use of force. For example, George Floyd’s murder occurred when a police officer knelt on his neck, leading to his death. The case sparked peaceful protests from all over the world. George Floyd is a piece of the latest string of unarmed African Americans who have died due to police using force. The cases have raised concerns over the accountability process to prosecute police who use force (Cappelli,2020)
The law enforcement use of force is permitted if they suspect the use of deadly force. (Cappelli,2020) argues that focusing on the use of deadly force ignores the officer’s action before the use of force. In some occurrence, the officer may create a situation where force appeared or became necessary. The questions that arise make the police unreliable when intervening in a crime scène. The Supreme court shut down a provocation rule that held the unreasonable nature of police to use force when violently provoked recklessly, The rule was shut down because The supreme court stated that the rule presented an inherent conflict that would create future problems.
The increasing number of repeated profile shootings has raised awareness on the oppressive police practices. The police have focused their reckless use of force on unarmed African Americans. These issues have sparked debate on community relations, race, and policing. The majority of interactions between police and civilians do not involve the use of force. However, video documented incidents and available data show patterns of excessive force. Also, the pattern demonstrates racial disparities in the use of force. Research done by Drexel University documented 2,285 deaths solely caused by police use (Brooks,2020). The research shows that the shooting occurred more among unarmed African Americans as opposed to whites.
The use of force by law enforcement is a concept that should be evaluated to implement police reform. Even though some police officers have been punished or convicted, more needs to be done to curb implicit bias and racial profiling. Despite the introduction of body-worn cameras, the police have not stopped shooting unarmed African Americans. The police department should be retrained from using lethal restraints that killed George Floyd.
References
Alpert, G. P., & Dunham, R. G. (2014). Understanding police use of force: Officers, suspects, and reciprocity. Cambridge University Press.
Cappelli, M. L. (2020). Black Lives Matter: The Emotional and Racial Dynamics of the George Floyd Protest Graffiti. Advances in Applied Sociology, 9(10), 323.
Brooks, O. (2020). Police Brutality and Blacks: An American Immune System Disorder. Journal of the National Medical Association, 112(3), 239.
