Police Brutality. Is it increasing or is it all media hype Research Paper

Police Brutality. Is it increasing or is it all media hype - Research Paper Example Study results show more brutality among the minority and powerless in the population (Busby, 2001). A brief overview of police brutality Brutal police officers rationalize extralegal force claiming to punish the law breakers. Police officers except citizens differ from them always. Challenge by citizens is unofficial crime and police use physical force in eliciting the compliance. Many nations in the world formulate laws addressing the police brutality. Human rights organizations receive many complaints on use of excessive force by the police. Failure to prevent police brutality corresponds to the insular police culture. Most obvious police brutality is physical and verbal abuse. Many nations attempting legislating police brutality formulate laws on minority profiling (Tonry, 2008). Amnesty International (AI) on the American Police Brutality The major theme of AI campaigns is the police brutality in using excessive force. The rights for all indexes reflect the police beatings, danger ous restraint techniques and unjustified shootings. Harassment disproportionately affects the minority based on races and ethnic groups. Various incidents cited by AI reflect unjustified practices of police misconduct. Despite restrictions on use of excessive force, the police officers in US use excessive force indiscriminately; police officers kill citizens through shootings. Nevertheless, criminal charges to the few officers remain untried. This systematically hides the abuse and causes persistence of the impunity. Reports by local media rarely reflect scandals on police brutality. The footage on the dramatic increase in negative actions by police officers perpetuates negative attitudes among the citizens (Tonry, 2008). Police Brutality Excessive use of force by police officers is brutality. It is a practice that disregards the status of citizens, restricts their freedom, annoys and harasses them, and uses unwarranted physical force. It is citizens’ judgment on failure of t reatment with the full rights and dignity by the police officers within the democratic society. The categories of complaints by the citizens concerning police brutality include excessive force and the abuse of the police power (Holmes, 2000). Despite the variation in estimates, incidences of the brutality by police are infrequent. Use of excessive force affects both the police officers and the citizens subjected to the force. Many riots result from misconceptions by the citizens on misuse of force by the police. The 1919 riots following the arrest of Rodney King in Chicago reflect public conception of the misuse of force by the police officers. After his release from custody six months before, Rodney King’s attack depicted the brutality of the police officers. Police officers pursued him in a chance deployment; police cars and helicopter chased after him (Busby, 2001). When he surrendered, police officers surrounded him in a semi circle. Contradicting reports rose up regardin g what happened afterwards. According to the police, King tried to stand up when handcuffed, he reached for the pocket of his pants making officers suspect and fear any weapon. However, reports from witnesses were extremely different from the officers’. Rodney reported of electrocution and handcuffing by the police officers. Citizens air complaints of racism and brutality among the police. One among the four officers beating Rodney King had time and again used excessive force on the citizens. Other