Police

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Police Brutality
By: Anonymous


"But they didn't have to beat me this bad. I don't know what I did to be beat
up." Rodney King, March 3, 1991. Police brutality has been a long lasting
problem in the United States since at least 1903 when police Captain Williams
of the New York Police Departmen coined the phrase, "There is more law at
the end of a policeman's nightstick than in a decision of the Supreme Court."
In the 1920's the Wichersham Commission had a number of instances of police
brutality. Many of these included the use of the "third degree" (beating to
obtain a confession). This is a very effective way to get a confession out of
somebody. However, beating the accused could easily elicit a confession from
a scared and innocent person. Also, this puts the accused person's life in
danger. Police officers must make snap life and death decisions daily. Officers'
work in an environment where death (theirs, their partners, and an innocent or
guilty person) is one decision away. How does that constant fear effect an
officer's perception? Unfortunately, many that are attracted to law
enforcement are aggressive and prone towards violence as a solution. Police
officers have a lot of power. With this power comes responsibility. Police
brutality can be defined as the excessive or unreasonable use of force in
dealing with citizens, suspects and offenders. A nationally known example
occurred on the morning of March 3, 1991. Rodney King was pulled out of his
vehicle and beaten by two Los Angeles police officers. The LAPD had
originally given chase to Mr. King's vehicle due to a failure to yield. Officers
fired a 50,000-volt Taser electric dart gun at Mr. King. They also hit King with
batons. Mr. King, according to police officials, was hit approximately 56 times.
Mr. King had 11 broken bones at the base of his skull. Also, the bones holding
his eye in the right socket were broken (LA Times March 19, 1991 p. A20).
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