Police brutality is a serious issue. Unsurprisingly, it’s an issue that’s been around for decades. Indeed, the instances of police using excessive force have been well documented throughout history.
Considering how prevalent it is, it’s rather surprising how little people actually understand what it is and what it entails. To help remedy this, we’ve put together a brief discussion on police brutality. If this is something you’re interested in, read on as we break down everything you need to know about police brutality.
Police Brutality Today
Data highlights that American police shoot more people than forces in similarly developed countries from all over the world. And while it can be argued that some of these instances are justified, the wide gap between the number of shootings is indicative of how loose the police force is when it comes to how they use force. With that being said, police brutality isn’t just limited to shootings and acts of violence.
There are different types of police brutality. It’s not limited to the unnecessary use of force but also applies in situations wherein the police commit acts of psychological abuse, harassment, and discrimination. At least 85,000 law enforcement officers across the USA have been investigated for some form of misconduct over the last decade.
Now, many of you may be wondering why this happens and why it happens so often. And while there are a slew of different factors that affect this such as race, we can’t ignore the role that broken window policing plays.
What is Broken Windows Policing?
Broken window policing gets its name from the broken window theory that states that visible signs of crime and anti-social behavior create civil disorder. And while we can’t say whether this theory is valid or not, we do know that it has caused the police to take a hyper-aggressive approach when it comes to minor non-violent offenses.
Due to this, a culture of impunity has been normalized. Ironically, this has had an opposite effect on society. Instead of creating a safe space for everyone, this has just opened up the everyday citizen to the possibility of abuse. Instead of promoting tolerance, the police perpetuate abusive and discriminatory treatment under the guise of preserving order.
Best Way to Approach Policing
So how do we address this problem? The approach to policing needs to change. Instead of stamping out crime, police officers must prioritize public safety.
In order to make this happen, police must learn to treat the community with dignity and respect. The broken window approach to policing must go as it is doing more harm than good to all communities. Above everything else, law enforcement must prioritize safety and human rights.
In case of abuse, it’s important that law enforcement takes accountability. Police should not be above the law. By exercising accountability and taking a zero-tolerance approach to abuse, the occurrence of police brutality will surely drop.
Conclusion
We hope this article proves to be useful when it comes to helping you better understand police brutality in the United States. While it’s unfortunate that there are occurrences wherein the people put in charge of serving and protecting abuse their power, the last thing you want to do is to further concede your rights. If you or someone you know experiences any form of police brutality, be sure to contact a lawyer immediately.
Our Experienced New York City lawyers and the law firm of Ronemus & Vilensky are by your side and can help you out if you are ever subjected to any type of police brutality. We are all familiar with instances of police brutality, harassment, false arrest, discrimination, and assault & abuse in New York City that have been brought to our attention through the media.