Police Brutality Problem in The United States Essay Example

Police Brutality is a growing situation in our country now. So many Americans including minorities are being targeted for wrong reasons the police think they have all the power, but they do not. We need to find a way to make sure the officers involved in these situations are held accountable for their actions. There should be laws or regulations in place so civilians should not be the ones being charged when the officer did something wrong. For example, the police departments in some states require them to have body cameras which is good, so they have footage and evidence of what happened on scene. But if the situation escalated or the officer made a wrong choice the footage should be available for the public if need be, if its not then how would anyone know what truly happened in the situation. it would be the person’s words against the officer. 

The Police departments across all states should have regulations in place for certain types of situations. Such as what happened with George Floyd the officers arrested him for the right reason, but they had use excessive force on him by pinning him to the ground and kneeling on his neck to make sure he would not move. There is also body cam footage of this incident and the police did not do anything about it, luckily there were bystanders recording on their phones and it went viral online. Now there is a trial for the officers involved. There must be evidence or proof something happened, or the officer will get away with it every time which cannot happen. I believe departments should and must write down what happens on their shift, so their chief knows what happened and if anything looks bad, they have it in writing. 

Many Americans think the police are just doing their job doing what is right and true. Also, they should consider their actions and think through the situation before acting on it. Law enforcement are not here to hurt anyone in any way shape or form unless the officer is being threatened by someone who wants to hurt them. An example would be if someone pulled a gun or knife on the officer then they would be able to try and shoot the person so they do not get far or pinned down the person and take their weapon or use any extra measures and arrest them, but if they do not assess what is going on someone will get hurt or killed for no reason which is a big deal. Another example would be if someone were resisting arrest and trying to run from police, they have the right to use any measures to catch the person whether it is tazing them or tackling them to the ground.  If an officer does do something wrong the officer should have consequences for their actions. 

Across America people are protesting for change and wish to have a better system in place. Too many people are dying for the wrong reasons and no one is doing anything about it. The government should make a law that states police officers only must use force in dangerous situations and cannot target someone just because of race especially. And for the officer to try and not assume that the person may or may not have done something by the way they are acting. Must talk to the individual and figure out what happened before making an arrest. Police departments have a long history of violence and aggression toward many minority communities in the U.S. Police relations in Black communities have been at the center of worldwide protests, ever since George Floyd's May 25 death. Other minority groups, such as Latino and LGBTQ Americans, have also faced decades of strained relations with police and are hesitant to call on them.

Police officials have been training among their ranks and encouraging more hiring of minority officers, police officials are working to improve relations with minority communities and to recruit more minority officers. If the departments recruit more minorities, they might have some peace between them and gain trust because minorities make up majority of the population in this country. 

Minorities may be generally deprived of police protection and other services to which they are entitled. Police may refrain from addressing criminal behavior within a particular minority group because they believe that members of that group typically engage in such behavior. Police attitudes toward minorities reflect the values of the larger community. Police even may aggravate an existing prejudice, though they generate prejudice on their own. The longer a minority has been seen as inferior or alien, the more likely it is to be discriminated against.

Police departments and their unions should include more stringent accountability mechanisms in employee contracts. Data on fatal and nonfatal police-related incidents could improve oversight. Police need more training for situations involving mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness, responders outside law enforcement must play a greater role in maintaining public safety. Departments should also monitor complaints about use of force more carefully. This would help greatly with law enforcement because they need policies to keep things in order. Without policies the police departments would just get away with letting these officers do whatever they please and not have consequences. How many more people must get hurt or killed by police before change happens. Police officer’s accountability is the biggest thing in their profession which has been an issue of concern. Officers who receive dozens or more complaints a year need to be reviewed and, if necessary, promptly fired. Police officers must be accountable to the police department and the community.

Many black Americans including myself believe that the police need boundaries when dealing with civilians of all backgrounds. In the past year violence among officers have been on the rise because of all the people being killed by offices or hurt by them. During protest especially people have been hurt the most by police trying to fight for what they want. Law enforcement should not have to throw smoke bombs and shoot people to keep things in order. Holding people down or pointing a gun at someone thinking they have a weapon in hand, is not the right way to enforce the law. Americans wanted to defund the police because of all the chaos but that would not be right we need the police around, so no one does anything crazy in the streets.

The police have been around for a long time but in the eyes of some black Americans they wish there were no more officers around. Black Americans fear that officers will arrest them for just walking around or being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Many of these situations are still happening far too often in our society. Myself include are sometimes scared to go somewhere because the police might judge me and think I am doing something wrong, a solution to this issue is to have the police talk to the black community and hear them out so no one must feel afraid to do anything. Also, officers should not be quick to judge anyone just by the way they look or what they do. 

Militarization is one of many causes of fatal police shootings and violence. Police use more violence to quell protests of police brutality, which results in more death. Police militarization of many police departments now appears to be a means to threaten and menace the public. American policing has always been fraught with explicit and implicit bias and racism, the use of this type of equipment should be restricted to combat zones. The danger of police militarization is not limited to posing threats to demonstrators. 

Having law enforcement have all this power and these weapons on a regular basis is too much to handle. If all police departments across the country have militarized weapons no one would ever feel safe. The police should just have their regular tools they use and have adequate training for situations, so nothing goes wrong. People need to feel safe in their communities and the police are there for that. 

This issue hits home for me because when I was about 10 years old walking home from school, I saw my cousin down the street with police officers on the floor pinned down to the ground. The officers said he fit the description of someone they were looking for who had robbed a bank earlier in the day. After that situation, my view on law enforcement changed so much over the years. Even now with what is going with police no one really knows how they should feel about law enforcement. My views on the police department are that they are here to help, protect and serve their communities to make sure everyone is safe, but they must consider that they should think first before acting on or addressing the situation.  

For example, the police departments in some states require them to have body cameras which is good, so they have footage and evidence of what happened on scene. But if the situation escalated or the officer made a wrong choice the footage should be available for the public if need be, if it is not then how would anyone know what truly happened in the situation.it would be the person's words against the officer. Another example would be if someone were resisting arrest and trying to run from police, they have the right to use any measures to catch the person whether it is tazing them or tackling them to the ground. And for the officer to try and not assume that the person may or may not have done something by the way they are acting. Police officers must be accountable to the police department and the community. Police militarization of many police departments now appears to be a means to threaten and menace the public. People need to feel safe in their communities and the police are there for that.