Research Paper Example: Police Brutality

Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement. Especially in the United States, it has become an issue that has recently gained the public's attention. Numerous officers are ignorant of law enforcement, which is ensuring an act of obedience to the law. Many take advantage of enforcing the law and end up using violence when it is not necessary. This is due to inadequate institutionalized training, lack of accountability and prosecution, or racial discrimination. After reading the novel, Always Running, the police department should improve the way they hire and instruct officers and have a better understanding of different cultures and backgrounds.

When it comes to enforcing the law, many officers take their job very lightly. Namely the authority they possess. For instance, Luis and his friends were enjoying their time at the beach. All of a sudden, a group of surfers, disguised as white officers, started saying very racial slurs to instigate the group. Not knowing it was a trap, Luis’ friends took the bait and began to charge them. The surfers suddenly pulled out weapons, revealing that they were cops. Luis was forced into an awkward position and frightened of what would happen next. To humiliate them even more, the officers started searching everyone to find any felonies. When they discovered the mescaline and some joints, they “...were ecstatic. They had something good to book us for” (Rodriguez 67). Luis was so helpless during the situation. The officers only cared about finding a way to arrest Luis and his friends. A police officer’s job is not to instigate a fight and arrest a person, assuming there would not be any evidence to support doing so. In addition, in the article, Why Police Training Must Be Reformed, it states that officer “training focuses too much on firearm skills and omits vital exposure to non-lethal weapons and conflict management” (Gutierrez). A police officer needs to care about both reducing crime and protecting the residents. Due to minimum time spent on decision making and how to interact with the community, this creates tension between officers and people like Luis. Police officers should be required to be capable of de-escalating situations without the presence of violence. The usage of guidelines defining the types of force that can be applicable to certain circumstances would keep officers accountable for their own actions. However, racism plays a big part in why police brutality is occurring.

Luis experiences racism from white authority figures countless times. As a teenager, he was arrested for no apparent reason and was called by many racial slurs. Even a white officer bragged that the LAPD likes to arrest blacks and Latinos. This was one of many reasons why Luis decided to be involved in the gang culture at such an early age. Because of this, it can be argued that the growth of gang culture in the 1970s was itself a response to police racism. Many group members saw it as a way to protect themselves. Officers abusing their authority were picking on minority groups. Assembling gangs was seen as a solution to combating aggression towards the Latino communities and culture. Most Latinos “... didn’t do anything…” and wonder “Why [they] are  being harassed…” (Rodriguez 95). Luis and his friends only attended a high school football game, yet officers searched them and asked for identification. The officers had no reason to assume anything or to even call for backup. When Carlitos questioned why they were being targeted, the cop responded by beating Carlitos with a baton. Shockingly in the article, Los Angeles Times, at least “951 people have been killed by law enforcement in Los Angeles County… almost all of the dead were men, nearly 80% were Black or Latino” (Los Angeles Times Staff). This demonstrates that most of the deaths were racially motivated. The article goes into further detail explaining how over the past 22 years, the number of deaths has averaged 43 people per year. Despite black people making up less than 10% of Los Angeles’ population, they represent 24% of law enforcement killings. White people on the other hand, make up more than a quarter of the population and only 19% are killed in these incidents. The number of deaths is drastically different compared to the two races. Furthermore, this shows the long pattern of systematic racism in Los Angeles, ranging from disrespect for minority cultures to brutal violence against minorities themselves. Officers that have cultural awareness benefit because they are able to communicate more. Without having a general public perception, this would allow officers to make decisions that are unbiased. Being educated and having an open mind towards different cultures would prevent misconduct and corruption. While this may not solve every problem, it commences the revival of the police department.

An awareness of who to hire and how to properly instruct and deeply understand different cultures are steps to rectifying police brutality. By carefully choosing who to hire and instruct, there would be less of a chance for using unnecessary violence in a situation that requires righteous decision making. While racism can not completely disappear, there are ways to prevent it from affecting communities. Officers that are educated on many cultures and backgrounds would be less biased and likely to harm others if they understand where they come from. Once correct action is taken, only then will police brutality be resolved.