The Theoretical Motivations for Use of Excessive Force by Police Officers
Research Paper: A major component of this class is a 2250-word term APA style and formatted research paper. The 2250-word requirement excludes the wording of the Cover, Abstract, and References pages. No more than 25% of the written assignment in this course may be attributed to referenced sources. Your paper must be 75% original thought. Again, your cited work and quotations must not exceed 25%. You must use and cite a minimum of five sources with no more than two being web sources. Peer-reviewed sources and scholarly articles are strongly encouraged as research sources. Do not use the course textbook as a source. Turnitin.com reports provide the instructor with the word count and the percentage of wording attributable to other sources. Papers may not be submitted from previous courses or classes to fulfill this requirement and will be referred for a potential Academic Code Violation. This assignment is due at the end of Module Seven.
The Theoretical Motivations for Use of Excessive Force by Police Officers
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Abstract
The police use force to maintain law and order, but this may be disproportionate when they encounter threats and dangerous situations. In most cases, neighborhoods with high social disorganization have high poverty rates and criminal activities. When police carry out their duties in such areas, they are more likely to use excessive force. However, profiling the people also creates mistrust with the people who dislike the use of coercive force. The perceptions that the police face imminent danger depend on their experiences, the situation and their perceptions. Hence, there is differential treatment when they encounter minorities in the underclass. There is tolerance of excessive force among police officers, and there is a need for police reforms to improve police-citizen relations.
Introduction
The state mandates the police to use force when dealing with people acting aggressively or resisting arrest. However, the police use force as a last resort, while there is a concern that the police can use force more than is necessary without repercussions. When the police face imminent danger, they can use more force, but each situation they encounter is different. There are divergent opinions on the extent to which certain situations or suspect conduct affect the safety of law enforcement officers. The police rarely use force, they may grab and hold suspects, but in cases where there is force, there are circumstances where the police overstep the boundary. This paper focuses on the theoretical motivations for use of excessive force by police officers.
Use of force
Police use of aggression and force may be warranted in cases where there is threat to their lives, and the suspect uses lethal force and is non-compliant (Paoline & Terrill, 2011). Even as the use of force can save lives, it may also have devastating consequences as it may escalate to more violence. Police have to balance their line between maintaining law and order and confronting potentially violent situations. However, merely supporting policing policies associated with police violence create tension, and at times result in the harassment of minorities. Even in cases where the police conduct stop and search activities when there are minor infractions, there is a risk of officers endangering their lives or that of suspects.
Arrests
In situations where there are arrests, the police are more likely to use force especially when life of law enforcement officers could be in danger. There could be an element of stereotyping that influences the behavior of police officers when they interact with people from diverse background. However, when the police have reason to believe that a person is engaged in criminal activity, they are likely to use deadly force regardless of the person’s background. This is especially when the suspects have been involved in assault, felonies, use of force and violence. Police may also judge situation based on a suspect’s record and arrests or potential arrests is a characteristic that is taken into consideration when they use force.
Social disorganization
There are few studies that examine ...
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