How to put an end to police brutality

1. HOW TO PUT AN END TO POLICE BRUTALITY
The Police Force in the United States is generally well respected however there are
numerous reports of police brutality that have surfaced in recent years and a stop needs to
be put to it and the police force needs to be returned to its former glory days when all
police were perceived as the good guys and not the bad guys. There are ways to put an
end to police brutality although it is unlikely that brutality will ever cease in totality.
A few ways to stop police brutality
 Adequate training – in situation where violence or force is uncalled for the police
should receive more in-depth training to deal with the situation at hand. A badge
does not automatically give an officer the right to take the law into his own hands
and resolve an issue with brutal force that could be resolved more appropriately.
 Define the use of reasonable force – there is a perception in the police force that
violence or brutality is necessary to diffuse a situation. This is merely a case of
misinterpretation of a word. Police should be taught that moderate force is better
as opposed to violence and brutality that escalates rather than diffuses a situation.
 Disciplinary action – most cases of brutality are never investigated and
consequently simply disappear. The police departments should enforce a code of
conduct and there should be disciplinary codes for misconduct and the
consequence should be severe and meaningful or the brutality will continue
unabated.
 Double standards – the law tends to favor the police version of events rather than
the explanation of the civilian which perpetrates the culture of an abusive society
controlled by the police. The sequence of events should be viewed neutrally to
determine if brutality was used and the perpetrator of the abuse should be brought
to justice as this will set a precedent to circumvent future use of brutality.
 Settlements – where brutality by the police has been established in court and a
settlement reached the officer concerned should be made to foot the bill rather
than the taxpayer as this will reinforce the fact that brutality should not be
condoned. Currently the taxpayer’s money is utilized to cover the settlement costs
and the officer has no financial burden placed on his shoulders which makes it
easier to continue with brutality at no cost to him.
 Perceptions – police today are armed with exceedingly powerful weapons and by
all accounts they are totally unnecessary in a civilian society. The police are law
enforcement officers and are not there to conquer a country single handedly.
There is an old saying ‘that if you have a hammer in your hand then everything
begins to look like a nail’ and unfortunately police brutality is turning civilians
into the proverbial nail.
 Accountability – a study revealed that a large percentage of police officers have
seen their colleagues commit acts of brutality but that very few ever reported the
incidents. Put all police officers on the spot and insist on the police being fitted
with cameras to document their exchanges with civilians which will
systematically reduce brutality because the officer will now be visually
accountable for his actions

2. Police brutality is a persistent problem worldwide and is further aggravated by a
universal failure to curb or correct the problem. The police officers need to be made to
pay for acts of brutality and to be made accountable on a personal level and then the
possibility may become a probability that brutality within the police force will be cease to
be an issue.