How to stop police brutality

Police brutality is the abuse of human rights by police officers as they perform their duties. Police brutality has been a problem in the United States of America, including torturing, illegal killing, and racial discrimination against citizens. Most times, police officers who are brutal to civilians are not brought to justice (Amnesty International, 2022). Acknowledging people’s rights can help identify when a violation occurs. This way, culprits of police brutality can face the law, and victims will get justice. Police brutality is a major social problem that needs to be stopped to promote peace and fairness in society, and some solutions are discussed below.

How to Stop Police Brutality

Police officers guilty of mistreating civilians should be held accountable for their actions to end police brutality. States can implement laws that require police to wear body cameras to ease the process of bringing justice to victims of police brutality. The body cameras help to collect evidence of abuse that can be used in court to prosecute abusers (Campaign Zero, 2022). The public should also be allowed to record police activity to provide evidence and help culprits be brought to justice. The police will shy away from abusing civilians if they know someone could be recording their actions, and the clips could be used against them in court. The authorities can also educate the public on their rights to tell when they are being violated and seek justice. Sometimes civilians may not tell when law enforcers abuse them as they think the police are just doing their work. Sensitizing the public about police brutality will reduce the problem since the police may stop abusing people because of fear of being reported.

Another way to ease providing justice regarding police brutality is to establish a different prosecutor’s office to handle cases of police criminals. Most prosecutors depend on police investigations to deal with cases, making it hard to handle cases involving police officers (Campaign Zero, 2022). They can easily withhold evidence against themselves or their coworkers. A special prosecutor’s office will ensure justice even for crimes committed by the police. It isn’t possible to conduct an investigation on themselves and give the necessary evidence (Whitten, 2020). States can also encourage other investigations and prosecutions independent of the police force. If other independent bodies investigate cases of police brutality, it will be easier to hold rogue police officers accountable for their actions and achieve justice for victims. In addition, making police officers pay for their wrongdoings can prevent them from mistreating people, reducing police brutality.

Laws Needed to End Police Brutality

The government can pass laws that regulate the powers of police officers over civilians to solve the problem of police brutality. The powers of police officers can be regulated by instilling laws that require police to analyze a situation thoroughly before firing guns or using other forms of force against suspects. These regulations could include distinguishing between situations requiring a certain amount of force. For example, the government can state that the police should not shoot a suspect if they are unarmed. In most cases, the victims killed by the police, like George Floyd in 2020, were unarmed (Amnesty International, 2022). The laws should also be followed strictly, and anyone breaking them should face the consequences. Suppose the government puts laws to regulate the power of police to punish, use force, and shoot civilians. In that case, police brutality will reduce, and the problem could finally be solved.

Another law the government can implement to end police brutality is demilitarizing the police force. Studies show that police officers with more military equipment are more likely to kill and torture people than those with fewer firearms (Pappas, 2020). Demilitarizing police officers makes them less violent since they do not have the firearms to use in torturing civilians.

Get a brand-new guide on essay writing

Everything you need to get A+ this semester!

Get it

By continuing, you agree to the Terms And conditions and Privacy policy

The download will start within seconds. Good luck!

Download

The government can also implement a law that ensures police officers found guilty of harassing civilians are held accountable. For example, a law that states that prosecution and investigation of cases involving police officers are conducted by a different department and not the police themselves (Campaign Zero, 2022). This is because if the police investigated their cases, they could favor themselves, and victims might fail to get justice.

Conclusion

Police brutality remains an issue not only in the United States of America but also in other parts of the world, with rogue police officers involved in the deaths of many people. The problem needs to be solved to foster peace and fairness in society. There are various ways to solve the issue of abuse by law enforcers. These ways include implementing laws to punish rogue police officers, having the police wear body cameras, and sensitizing the public on their rights. These measures will help to hold officers who violate human rights accountable. The government can also regulate the power of police officers over civilians by controlling the action they take on a suspect in a specific situation, demilitarization, and changing the police culture. If the government follows the above measures, the country could solve the problem of police brutality for good.