Police brutality

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Police brutality Human experimentation

Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers. Widespread, systematic police brutality persists in many countries, even those which actively prosecute and successfully punish such activity. Brutality is one of several forms of police misconduct, which include false arrest, intimidation, racial profiling, political repression, surveillance abuse, sexual abuse, and police corruption.

Use of force and authority by police regarding to certain social groups can in some cases be - or be perceived to be - disproportionate. Differences in race, religion, politics, and socioeconomic status between police and the citizenry can contribute to the creation of a relationship in which a significant number of police officers view the population (or a particular subset thereof) as generally deserving punishment while these portions of the population view the police as oppressors.

Police are employed by society to maintain order, but by dealing largely with disorderly elements of the society, people working in police often gradually develop an attitude or sense of authority over the society. The growing number of investigated cases of police brutality is usually attributed not to increased awareness within police ranks, but merely to more widespread use of video cameras.

In USA cases of police brutality are investigated by internal police commissions, District Attorneys, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Internal police commissions are often criticized as being biased in favor of the officers in question, as they frequently declare upon review that the officer(s) acted within the Department's rules, or according to the training. Additionally, the ability of District Attorneys to effectively investigate police brutality is called into question, as DA's strongly depend on help from Police Departments to bring cases to trial. In contrast, the FBI is believed by many to be objective in its work in this area, but it investigates only a fraction of suspect cases of police brutality.

In some cases the police can be seen as siding with or against a government on political issues. For example during the Quebec City Summit of the Americas in 2001, it was believed by the anti-globalists that the police were defending the capitalist objectives of the summit participants, but many people viewed those anti-globalists' actions as unreasonable and destructive. Another example is when, in March 2006, masked Kenyan police attacked a media outlet during the midst of a government corruption scandal; see Corruption in Kenya for details.

1 Human Rights
2 Community Response
3 Suspected Cases of Police Brutality
4 See also
5 External links

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Human Rights

The Amnesty International 2005 report on human rights alleges widespread police misconduct in many countries. Some noteable countries include Canada, the UK, France, the USA, Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

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Community Response

Various community groups have addressed police brutality and have worked to engender change in police behavior in their communities. These groups often stress the need for oversight by independent citizen review boards and other methods of ensuring accountability for police action. Copwatch is a U.S.-based network of organizations that actively monitors and videotapes the police to prevent police brutality. Umbrella organizations including the October 22nd Coalition to Stop Police Brutality, Repression, and the Criminalization of a Generation and justice committees (often named after a deceased individual or those victimized by police violence) usually engage in a solidarity of those affected.

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