There are very few careers with as high demands for an ethical standard as law enforcement. Although there are many careers, which require a dedication to doing the right thing, it is undeniable that there is a tremendous degree of responsibility and expectation placed on the police officer. The police play a vital role in today’s justice system; they are the heroes that catch armed robbers, stop kidnappings, and catch murderers that terrorize communities: or at least that is how they are portrayed.
While police activities are much more mundane than the public may think, police are given total authority over the public to keep the streets safe.2
“If you wish for peace, prepare for war.”
This Roman proverb can be applied to police; they must be trained for the worst possible incident but they should try hard to avoid using their training in real experiences. Most police departments and officers would believe strongly in this proverb; however there are a few examples in the U.S. in which the officers’ use of force has been excessive and unnecessary where they used their training to harm rather than protect and enforce the law. During their service, police are given several authorities to exercise the law and make sure that the law is carried out among citizens. This can lead to an officer having a sense of entitlement and a possibility of them losing respect for their boundaries. Such a case is called police brutality and even though police officers are responsible for enforcing the law, they have breached these laws and taken advantage of their position ; such violations of human rights must be eliminated. Police officers, who were once referred to as peace keepers, are now more law enforcement officers. Police agencies around the United States seem to be stuck more on quotas and creating revenue for their county or city. Making many officers strive for many unnecessary arrests.
This as a following result has brought up a lot of tension between the police and their citizens. With increasing violence in cities and states; police officers methods have slowly become more aggressive, bringing a rise in unnecessary police brutality related incidents within the last 10 years. Police brutality is an criminal act. It is an atrocity that is jeopardizing the civil rights of the citizens3
2016-17-Vol2-Issue1-_21
