Introduction
In recent years, there have been numerous reports of police officers engaging in excessive use of force and other forms of misconduct, which frequently lead to unjustified killings. Police brutality in the United States is a serious problem that affects both public safety and trust. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the causes of this problem to find effective solutions. Police brutality is a critical social issue that is mainly caused by the lack of proper training, an insufficient level of understanding of different communities’ issues, excessive use of force, and illegal pursuit of criminals.
Causes of Police Brutality
Police brutality in the U.S. is a critical social issue that arises as a direct consequence of a poor understanding and execution of police duties. The first leading cause of police brutality is poor professional training (Schwartz, 2020). There are cases when police officers do not receive enough training to handle conflict situations with more discipline and understanding than they demonstrate.
Police sometimes lack sufficient instruction on civil and human rights principles. In other situations, law enforcement employees lack the understanding of the principles of dignity and respect for others. Instead of increasing this awareness, training programs are often geared towards using physical force and contradict peaceful approaches to conflict management.
The second major cause of police brutality in America is that many police officers do not have enough understanding of local communities’ problems. The police can be isolated from the issues of local people, including those related to poverty, inequality, and discrimination. In such situations, police officers can thoughtlessly use physical force to solve problems without making efforts to establish dialogue and reach a compromise (Graham et al., 2020). It is frequently the case that officers are allowed to operate with impunity, and there is a lack of transparency and accountability when it comes to investigating incidents of police misconduct.
The third reason for police brutality in the U.S. is the excessive use of weapons. The police have access to large amounts of weapons and armor aimed at protection, but sometimes they can be used for violence (Edwards, Lee, & Esposito, 2019). Such situations can be extremely dangerous for ordinary citizens who may be subjected to unwarranted brutality. For example, innocent people may be harmed when police use Taser guns or pepper spray guns.
The fourth cause of police brutality is the illegal pursuit of criminals. Officers sometimes pursue criminals by using unjustified methods such as illegal stops, violation of the right to freedom of speech, or use of excessive force. These approaches are mainly utilized when pursuing minority groups, especially African Americans (Kramer & Remster, 2018). In such cases, the police often use harsher means to achieve their goals.
Conclusion
In conclusion, police brutality in the U.S. primarily stems from inadequate professional training, a failure to understand local community issues, the overuse of weapons, and the illegal pursuit of suspects. To successfully curb this brutality, each of these issues must be tackled, starting with more effective training and the strict enforcement of existing police procedures. Achieving a significant reduction in police brutality will ultimately depend on cooperative efforts between the government and the public to improve law enforcement’s approach.
References
Edwards, F., Lee, H., & Esposito, M. (2019). Risk of being killed by police use of force in the United States by age, race–ethnicity, and sex. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(34) 16793-16798. Web.
Graham, A., Haner, M., Sloan, M. M., Cullen, F. T., Kulig, T. C., & Jonson, C. L. (2020). Race and worrying about police brutality: The hidden injuries of minority status in America. Victims & Offenders, 15(5), 549-573. Web.
Kramer, R., & Remster, B. (2018). Stop, frisk, and assault? Racial disparities in police use of force during investigatory stops. Law & Society Review, 52(4), 960-993. Web.
Schwartz, S. A. (2020). Police brutality and racism in America. Explore (NY), 16(5), 280–282. Web.