My stand on this question is, yes. To start an explanation for this we first have to understand that members of the police force are government officials who enforce the laws and maintain order. They are engaged in a dangerous and stressful occupation that can involve violent situations that must be controlled. In many of these confrontations with the public it may become necessary for the police to administer force to take control of a situation. Sometimes this force takes the form of hand to hand combat with a suspect who resists being arrested (Dantzker, 2003). The police do have strict guidelines to follow when using force. Force should be used in only the minimum amount needed to achieve a legitimate purpose. Most police officers use these five stages through which the use of force can progress: (a) verbal persuasion, (b) unarmed physical force, (c) force using non lethal weapons, (d) force using impact weapons, (e) deadly force (Linder, 1993).
A senior police officer of the Hamburg police on a...
Mounted officer of the Metropolitan Police at Buck...
Ian Tomlinson after being pushed to the ground by ...They also have many tools at their disposal when the need for using force arises. These include the police baton, mace, tasers, handcuffs, police dogs, and firearms (Linder, 1993). An officer of the law can be properly trained to administer the law in an unbiased way that will not violate a citizen's rights. However, this has not always been the case; for example, the Rodney King and Abner Louima cases. (Linder, 1993)Police work is likely to attract at least some individuals who enjoy bullying others or join the force with the intention of exploiting special opportunities to enrich themselves. There are many other theories for police brutality such as the bad apple, personality disorders, previous traumatic job related experiences, young inexperienced or macho officers, officers who learn inappropriate patrol styles, and officers with personal problems (Scribner, 1994). These individual behavioral...