|
“William J. Whitfield 3rd, an unarmed African American man, was shot dead in a New York supermarket on 25 December 1997 by police who said they mistook the keys he was carrying for a gun. Although the officer who shot him was cleared of wrongdoing, it was revealed that he had been involved in eight prior shootings.”
Cases like this are becoming increasingly common. Every year there are thousands of reports of excessive use of force by police officers, and it is difficult to tell exactly how many cases go unreported. There are over 17,000 police forces in America, and each has a code of practice more unique than the next. While most have strict guidelines regarding the use of deadly force, these guidelines are not always adhered to or even completely understood. Internal Affairs Investigations have been accused of bias and a tendency to sweep these types of incidents under the rug. For the most part, disciplinary action is rare in police brutality cases, and when punishments are given out, they are usually quite lenient.
The primary discrepancy in "use of force" cases stems in part from the fact that police are required to use some sort of force and it is difficult to see where to draw the line between what is required and what is excessive. No matter what type of activities police officers are involved in, they are often required to use force to rectify certain situations. In fact, the ability to use force under the law has been known to create of sense of unity among police officers, because they are virtually the only people with this power.While that type of power can be a concern for both officers and citizens, we cannot set aside the human factor. Police officers are not merely human forms of "Robocop", firing their guns arbitrarily with a complete lack of sense or emotion.
Police work is an extremely emotional occupation and it is difficult for officers not to get personally involved in their work. Although police are rarely required to fire their guns and most calls are more along the nature of domestic disputes than high profile hostage situations, every day there is the underlying knowledge that they may either have to "kill or be killed". Stress is an inherent part of police work, especially since unlike most professions, lives are literally in their hands. When a citizen undermines a police officer's authority in the face of all that stress, an encounter can "take on a life of its own"
The extreme stress and pressure placed on police officers has caused an increasing numbers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder cases, alcoholism, suicide, early retirement, breakdowns and burnout being reported by police officers across the country. Despite theories that claim there are various stages involved in a police officer's career which includes a "toughening process" (leading to more self-confidence and a more relaxed attitude) research has shown overall that stress may occur at any stage of a police career. No one could logically argue that a human being would be able to remain unaffected by these intense stress factors simply because they experience them regularly. After all, no one expects a prisoner of war who has endured endless trauma and stress to emerge from his situation unscathed.
One of the ways some police offers attempt to dissuade stress is by incorporating militaristic philosophies and actions into their daily routine and mindset. Militarism has historically been revered for its regimentation and control, and applying such admirable qualities to police work can make an officer feel more confident in his or her position. The problem with this strategy is that it fosters a strong "us vs. them" mentality that actually serves to undermine the respect of police officers in the eyes of citizens. Cops, like military personnel, protect their own. Militarism has a deeply imbedded meaning for police officers, in how they view themselves, their job and the entire police organization. The concept of militarism also inspires metaphors of war. Our society has already waged a war on drugs which basically pits police officers against drug abusers, placing them on opposite sides of the battle lines rather than in a camp of common goals. The old ideas of the friendly, helpful police offer have been replaced by images recalled from the beating of Rodney King that fueled a national outcry saturated with claims that the only thing uncommon about this incident was that it was caught on tape.
Because police officers do make honest human mistakes, often as a result of allowing personal bias or emotion to influence their actions, and because they are permitted, as a last resort, to use potentially lethal force, police are subjected to intense scrutiny. Debates and commentary over the excessive use of force has become a national phenomenon. Victims of excessive use of force by a police officer feel they have very little recourse. They are not only intimidated by the amount of red tape involved in reporting such an incident, but they are convinced that the courts will not take their claim seriously, or worse, will choose to look the other way, even in the face of hard evidence. The “code of silence” between police offices has been in place so long that many citizens feel that there is no way to break through it.
In reality, the number of officers who use excessive force is presumed to be relatively small. It's basically a classic case of "a few rotten apples spoiling the bunch". However, those who do have a history or a tendency towards abuse of power, are a serious threat to the whole of society. Thus it is imperative to monitor the situation from a critical perspective.
Police officers rely primarily on instinct and as long as their basic intention is to promote good and not evil, citizens need to trust that an officer’s instincts are generally correct. While exploitative media coverage of police brutality helps to fuel a lack of trust on the part of many citizens, it is important that citizens are aware of their right to prosecute in legitimate cases. All in all, this is an issue that will continue to plague the public and police departments throughout the country until a viable solution to the problem is discovered.
|
| |
