Police brutality is a subject often scrutinized and many times politicized. It is a subject for debate that has perhaps not yet caused a nuclear incursion, but has overwhelmingly outraged communities and caused civil wars among the country's strong and defiant.
Police brutality not only affects the offenders and victims, it also affects children, the elderly and future social standards. Before deciding on whether police brutality exists, or whether it is an undulation as compared to a rarity, one must take an philosophical look at what defines the phrase, investigate the educational background required of beginning cadets, profoundly analyze the discoveries of what occurred at Stanford University in 1971, and unhurriedly observe examples of brutality that have occurred, but normally are flashed quickly across the evening news.
Defining police brutality takes more than just a dictionary, it requires an in depth look into the actions of law enforcement. "Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers and other law enforcement officers". This is a good start into defining police brutality, but what about when "Calvin admitted he had sex with a woman in a station break room after she was picked up on a drunk-driving allegation"?
Anyone familiar with this local case can tell you it was an act that occurred while Mr. Calvin was on-duty. This is where police brutality is not defined by the previous statement. This part of police brutality involves a sexual occurrence in which an officer used the power he possessed while on-duty in order to seduce and/or force a victim into committing a sexual act. Police brutality is When police use excessive or otherwise unwarranted force against an often innocent person...Often times the police department will investigate (oftentimes part of a cover-up) just enough to say they did with no real effort to punish the officers involved, letting them off with a reprimand or a months suspension for what would be a felony for the rest of us.
This is somewhat of a more detailed look into defining police brutality, but offers a biased opinion by suggesting a police department investigation is a ‘cover-up.' One's purpose in defining police brutality cannot be to express his/her own opinion, but rather to inform and then allow others to develop their own definition. "This [police brutality] is when police hurt an innocent person for no reason at all". This is a broad definition, but might actually be the most appropriate. Let us first examine the constant noun of the subject. The word ‘brutality' means "the state or quality of being ruthless, cruel, harsh, or unrelenting".
So, looking at ‘police' as being an adjective that precedes the noun and defining it as ‘law enforcement,' one could define ‘police brutality' as being the state or quality of law enforcement being ruthless, cruel, harsh, or unrelenting. Classifying Calvin's actions as ‘unrelenting,' this definition is most applicable. Now that we have a clearer understanding or perhaps simply a notation on which to base our opinion upon, we can further examine all aspects involved in police brutality.
One issue to be addressed when determining one's stance on police brutality is an officer's required education. Lawyers normally go to school for a Bachelors degree then attend law school for approximately 2-4 years with required internships. However, police officers are generally not required to have more than a high school education. The California Highway Patrol is currently seeking a cadet, the educational requirement is, "High School graduate or equivalent ... Equivalent to completion of the 12th grade". The Seattle Police Department is looking for an entry level officer with, "Proof of high school diploma or certified GED".
In Phoenix, a cadet must "have fewer than 8 driving violation points, no more than two chargeable accidents, no convictions for DUI and no loss of license within the previous 36 months". So essentially, around the nation, officers are generally required to have only a high school diploma or its equivalent. However, New York is an exception. The NYPD Cadet Corp is looking for an intern that must "Have at least 45 credits by December 2007 but less than 95 credits".
So, there is a state in our country that believes education is important to potential recruits into the justice system. Now, where is the comparison between a lawyer's education and a police officer's education coming from? Simple, they are both players in the criminal justice system. Judges, like lawyers, are required as to have an extended education. Police officers arrest criminals, lawyers either prosecute or defend them, and judges decide upon punishment. Judges and lawyers have a comprehensive education, yet law enforcement, who are the initial responders and first point of entry into the legal justice system are required to have none. Does this create a problem with the way society views an officer, and if so, does it play a role in actions of law enforcement? Why does the police officer seem to have the lowest educational standard in the criminal justice system?
Let's look at some educational requirements of cadets local to Arkansas. Jacksonville is currently looking for a police officer that must "Possess a high school diploma" (www.cityofjacksonville.net, 2007). The City of Bryant is looking for an officer that must "meet all requirements on law enforcement standards and training" (www.bentoncourier.com, 2007). Okay, so there is a standard requirement, but still no educational requirement. However the ad continues to read, "Certified officer is $10.80-$11.35 pr hr...uncertified officer $10.54 pr hr" (www.bentoncourier.com, 2007). So putting aside the standard certification requirement could cost a potential recruit a difference of 26 cents an hour. Is that the value placed on a certification? One wonders what value would be placed on a potential recruit with a bachelors' in criminal justice. Perhaps he would be able to make 50 cents more than an uncertified officer. The importance of examining educational requirements of police officers before developing an opinion of police brutality is this. An officer enforces the laws. Many times, the officer has a number for a citation, and can identify a criminal act and issue a citation for such. However, the officer is never required to have a formal education as to what is contained in the law that he is enforcing. This is a complete oversight of a flawed criminal justice system.
