Race crime and justice M2 peer reply 2

excessive use of force by police

must respond to my questions or the posts of other students at least twice. Excellent posts will be supported by evidence from the course materials, offer new substantiated ideas, and encourage discussion.

ANSWER

Excessive use of force by police Discussion Reply 2

I agree with the post that excessive use of force by police officers influences effective policing. Excessive use of force from a police officer refers to the use of more force than what is necessary to subdue a suspect or prevent an escape. This can result in serious injury or even death. There are several factors that can contribute to excessive use of force from a police officer, including: the suspect is non-compliant or resists arrest, the officer perceives a threat to their safety or the safety of others, the suspect is armed and dangerous and the officer is under stress or feeling threatened themselves (Bennell et al., 2021). When an officer uses excessive force, it not only violates the rights of the person they are using force against, but it also damages the reputation of the police department and erodes trust between the police and the community.

I concur with the post that there is no standard of determining excessive use of force. It is important to remember that an officer’s job is to enforce the law and keep the peace. In order to do this, they are given a certain amount of leeway in how they go about their business. This leeway is not unlimited, however, and there are times when an officer will go too far and use excessive force. I believe that police officers should be trained on how to properly use the amount of force necessary for the situation, and be held accountable when they do not.

In most cases, the use of excessive force by a police officer is illegal. It can result in criminal charges being filed against the officer, as well as a civil lawsuit (Bennell et al., 2021). In some cases, an officer may even be fired from their job. In order to avoid these consequences, it is important for officers to be properly trained on how to use the amount of force necessary and to know when they are crossing the line. There have been a number of high-profile cases in recent years where police officers have been caught on camera using excessive force. In some of these cases, the officers have been charged with a crime, while in others they have not. In either case, I agree that the use of excessive force is something that should not be tolerated.

References

Bennell, C., Alpert, G., Andersen, J. P., Arpaia, J., Huhta, J. M., Kahn, K. B., … & White, M. D. (2021). Advancing police use of force research and practice: urgent issues and prospects. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 26(2), 121-144.