Police Brutality and Racism

Police Brutality
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Institution
Course Number and Name
Instructor's Name
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Police Brutality
Police Brutality and Racism
a) Police racial profiling
One of the major challenges facing law enforcement is racial profiling. As Hosein (2018) informed, racial profiling refers to the act of police officers screening for potential offenders by relying on ethnicity, race, or national origin and not taking into account an individual's behavior. In the U.S., black people, as well as individuals from the Arab, Muslim, South Asian, and Middle Eastern groups, face racial profiling (Hosein, 2018). Pretext stop is an example of racial profiling where police pull aside African American drivers seemingly for trivial traffic violations, biu they ago ahead and search them for illegal merchandise. With the advent of technology, racial profiling has even moved to social media, as evidenced by the Minneapolis Police Department using fake accounts on social media to target black people (Dewan, 2022). Racial profiling by the police is thus a major form of discrimination that people from minority groups experience.
b) Police reform and social change
Given the brutality and racism perpetuated by police, reform and social change are necessary to cultivate healthy relationships with communities. With black people being disproportionately shot and killed by police, as informed by Schwartz (2020), reform and social change can help the individuals from the community rebuild some trust in the force. According to Diphoorn et al. (2021), police reform should be characterized by a reconfiguration of what policing is. As such, police culture change and move away from the use of violence and threats to one that fosters collaboration with communities. In essence, a social change is needed that allows the police to work together with different communities to address shared goals.
Police Use of Force
a) The justification for use of force/when is it reasonable to use force
The use of force is sometimes necessary for police to accomplish their key mandate like arresting offenders, protecting others, and acting in self-defense (Goode, 2018). Within the Fourth Amendment, the use of force by law enforcement is a seizure, and as a result, it has to be reasonable (Goode, 2018). Interestingly, as Goode (2018) pointed out, a universal definition of "use of force" does not cuist and it is up to the courts to determine if the use of force goes against the Fourth Amendment. As reiterated by the National Institute of Justice (2020), the individual agencies provide police with guidance surrounding the use of force, but there are no rules that determine when and how police ought to use force.
b) Liability and the use of force
The police can be liable for using excessive force, but this liability is guided by the Fourth Amendment. In Tennessee v. Garner, an offer shot an unarmed Garner because he was convinced he would escape if he managed to jump over the fence (Goode, 2018). In this case, the court determined that it was against the Fourth Amendment to use deadly force against nonviolent and fleeing felons. Therefore, the Fourth Amendment determines the liability that officers can face. Under the amendment, Goode (2018) informs ...