Police and Lethal Force Essay

Police work entails expectedly many opportunities for misuse of authority or the excessive use of force which is not necessary when in the line of duty (Strack 1994; ACLU 1991). This is a primary issue that concerns policing and the grave and abusive conduct of men in uniform whether they are in the United States or elsewhere in the world (Police culture and behavior 2008).   There are various factors that are usually pointed at whenever this happens; police officers already in the brink of burn out are a primary reason. However, the mental or psychological state of an officer is usually in question if this use of lethal force occurs.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why is this considered an issue? It is a given usually, that a police officer is knowledgeable of the â€Å"force continuum† (www.policetest.info) which is a kind of scale that guides an officer in graduated level with which what method or approach will he resort to under any given circumstance (see appendix A).   This shows that by his mere presence alone, the officer realizes, the suspect may be alerted or threatened and succeeding responses by the two individuals (i.e., if it involves two people only) are then again graded and evaluated by the officer according to the force continuum. Precisely because reports are aplenty concerning police brutality which happens when a suspect is frisked and/or confronted with a criminal activity and many of these instances that the persons of interest or suspects do not even have any weapon of sorts with them, nor were they in the position challenging the person in authority. The case of Rodney King in 1991 became a platform for many of these reforms that were made eventually, to respond to public clamor for justice regarding perpetrators the like of which Rodney King had suffered from.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Studies show that in most organizations where reforms have been initiated, what was important was the regular monitoring of the activities of police officers ensures that these men minimize their propensity to exercise the capability of employing lethal or deadly force against any citizen or any suspect unless merited. This is not just to safeguard any suspect or citizen whether they are coming from the expected â€Å"marginalized groups† where the most likely victims are men of color, older or aging citizens, women and children but even these same men in uniform from their own tendencies to act with anger or rage and resort to these means (ACLU 1991). â€Å"To serve and to protect† can mean both ways when interpreted in the light of these reforms: it means serving and protecting the men themselves who are employed to do the same to the general public. Affirming their code of ethics now and then may be a small thing but it is still a major part of reminding officers why they are in the force and the accountability that is necessary in the deterrence of themselves committing a crime needlessly. Appendix A    The Force Continuum More Force    Deadly Force       Less Lethal       Pepper Spray, Baton, Taser       Empty Hand Control       Verbal Commands Less Force    Officer Presence Source: http://www.policetest.info/FORCE_CONTINUUM_POLICE_USE_OF_FORCE.htm    Works cited: Strack, Lorr M.1994. Personality profile of police candidates. Journal of Clinical Psychology; 50(2):200-7. www.pubmed.gov. _____ Police culture and behavior. Accessed March 12, 2008. American Civil Liberties Union. On the Line: Police Brutality and its remedies. New York. April 1991. Retrieved March 12, 2008 < http://www.aclu.org/police/gen/14614pub19971201.html> _______ Police Oral Boards and Use of Force Continuum. Retrieved March 12, 2008