Leon Liu

English 114.A7
October 22, 2014

Police Brutality in America

1,553 words
The law is an essential system in our society. Without it, we are not a civilized
society. Police officers act as enforcers of the law. They maintain peace and order. Like
in every profession and society, there are bad police officers. The authority granted upon
these sworn officers, can be used to abuse any citizen. We must rid ourselves of this
pandemic of police brutality. The police departments tend to cover up incidents of police
abuse to protect themselves from the public. The news usually doesnt report on incidents
of police brutality. So a majority of the American population are unaware that this issue
is still occurring today. In order to combat this pandemic, we must first understand what
police brutality is, and why it exists.
It is important to understand that the abuse of authority have existed even before
societies were deemed civilized. In fact, police brutality in America was a lot worse fifty
years ago compared to now. This is not to say that police brutality rarely happens now,
because the reality is, it still occurs on a daily basis. The only difference now is we have
portable phones with built in cameras, whereas fifty years ago there were rarely any sort
of video footage to protect the public. Police in riot gear would march down the streets
beating down any and all protesters. If that were to happen today, the news would travel
so fast through modern media that the entire world would hear about it, before the police
could pack up and go home. So in a sense, we are safer now than before. However, no
one is completely safe.

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There have been increasingly more and more incidents and reports of police
abusing their power nationwide. There are so many incidents that this feels more like a
pandemic spreading and engulfing every part of this nation. Many incidents such as
Fruitvale station ignite national outrage. However it appears our justice system is flawed
and useless when it comes to these situations. The crimes committed by a police officer
are usually unreported, ignored, or deemed just in the eyes of the law. The badge, as
quoted by some is a license to kill. A police officer seems to have the authority to
kidnap, steal, and kill without worry of being persecuted. There are rarely any cases in
which an officer is sentenced to life for killing someone. Fruitvale station is the perfect
example. A man was handcuffed and shot in the back by a cop who claims to have
mistaken his gun for his Taser. The officer executed an unarmed and restrained man, but
only had to serve six months in a private cell away from other inmates. If an average
citizen went out and handcuffed a man then proceeded to shoot him in the back, how long
would he have to serve for?
Not all abuse is reported or known to the public. Fruitvale station got its publicity
due to video footage and a number of witnesses who saw the horror. Most police abuse
occurs when there are no witnesses around or when the cop simply doesnt care because
he knows he can get away with it. The infamous Rodney King incident occurred when
a group of police officers beat a man senselessly. They did this because they thought
they could get away with it, without realizing that they were being recorded the whole
time. There are videos of officers beating a homeless man to death, while the man begged
for his life. There are videos of police beating up anyone who dares to stand up to the

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status quo. It does not matter if someone is a veteran, handicapped, or just an upstanding
citizen. No one can challenge the status quo.
Should law enforcement officers really have this kind of authority? It is apparent
that officers have the power to beat you and then arrest and charge you with assault. The
Robert Leone incident was one of the most horrific displays of police brutality. The
officers beat Robert Leone to the point where an officer fractured his fist on the
defenseless mans skull. Robert Leone was then charged with assault for allegedly
breaking an officers fist with his head. How ridiculous is that? There was even case
where a family Court Marshal sexually assaulted a woman and then arrested her when
she tried to tell her story. There was a judge in the room who ignored her cries and did
not even pay attention to the situation. The badge seems to have the power to enable its
holder to do whatever they want and get away with it.
Every day in America, cops abuse their power. Every day in America, cops abuse
the ones they are sworn to serve and protect. Every day in America, cops get away with
it. It is every Americans first amendment right to film the police in public. Yet many are
told by law enforcement that they dont have the right to film the police. If we cant keep
an eye on the police, how can we keep them accountable for their actions? When there is
a news headline of police brutality, no matter how shocking, is it nothing new.
Everything those cops did, theyve done to someone else when there are no video
cameras around. Theyve done it, theyve gotten away with it, and they know just how
much false arrest their department will let them do, and just how much assault they can
get away with.

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The question is no longer is police brutality real, the real question now is why?
Why do these officers commit such atrocities? The answer is simple. They do it because
they know they can. They do it because they know they can get away with it. None of the
officers will be charged with the assaults and batteries that they have committed. None of
them will be charged or disciplined in any way. The police department does not need a
police investigation to figure out what happened. They already know what happened. The
officers acted appropriately. That is their way of saying, We dont care what happened,
our officers are not at fault. The only way to get them to admit they are wrong is if you
present overwhelming evidence that catches public attention. But not everyone is lucky
enough to have a camera recording their encounters with abusive police officers. There
are even times when the department would rather cover up the incident than discipline the
officers. A system like this is clearly broken. The department basically encourages police
abuse, because it is clear they dont want to deal with it.
So what could be done about all this police brutality? There is a petition, known
as the Michael Brown Petition, that require police on duty to wear cameras. The reason
for this petition is to deter police officers from things like police brutality, racial
profiling, and general abuse of power. It will also get rid of things like his words against
theirs. Meaning everyone will be held accountable for their actions. An experiment was
conducted on police officers in Rialto, California. Twenty-five officers were supplied
with cameras that could clip on to their uniforms. In a twelve month period, the police
department had an 88% decline in complaints made against officers, and a 60% decline in
the use of force by officers. It also shows that officers with equipped with these cameras

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are half as likely to use force, than officers not wearing the cameras. There are of course,
some complications. Like the google glass, privacy invasion is a huge concern. Would
police equipped with these cameras be allowed to enter places like bathrooms and locker
rooms? The concern over the Big Brother is also a huge issue. With police walking
around with cameras recording everything, it would seem as if our nation is monitored
everywhere by the government. Would you trade in your privacy for security?
In order to cure this nationwide pandemic of police abuse, a few things must be
done to keep the police in check. First off, internal affairs must be more active in
investigating officers suspected of police misconduct. Secondly, all officers must go
through a series of mandatory psychological tests to ensure they are fit for duty. Finally,
any and all officers, regardless of rank, shall be subjected to immediate termination,
should they commit any form of unprofessionalism. These officers are people too. If we
show them that they will be held accountable for their actions, it will deter many from
abusing their powers. If we do nothing about this pandemic now, it will only get worse to
the point where police brutality will be embedded in every society, and people will cease
to care. We must act now, and act quickly.
In conclusion,

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Works Cited
Itkowitz, Colby. Michael Brown petition has 100,000 signatures; the White
House must respond Washingtonpost.com. The Washington Post, 20 August, 2014
McCormack, Simon. Robert Leone Brutally Beaten By Pennsylvania State
Police: Federal Lawsuit Huffingtonpost.com. The Huffington Post, 5 July, 2014
Riggs, Mike. Homeless Man Dies After Being Brutally Beaten by Five Fullerton
Cops Reason.com. Reason Blog, 29 July, 2011
Smith, Mychal. Eric Garners Death and the Exasperation With Police Violence
Thenation.com. The Nation, 21 July, 2014