It’s a story we’ve all heard before, and it’s a sad one – the story of police abusing power.
The sad reality is that even though most of the modern police force is made up of dedicated officers who are sworn to protect the innocent in our society, many do abuse their power.
Crossing the Line
We’ve all heard the news about the gross violations of the law that have occurred when police abuse power. The shocking stories of young black men shot and killed by police have riveted the United States in recent weeks. These stories have become so familiar that they’ve shaken many people’s feelings about the U.S. justice system and our ability to treat people equally under the law.
Alton Sterling was a 37-year-old man who was selling CDs outside of a convenience store to make a few extra dollars. He was shot dead by police, and the case regarding what happened is still unfolding. Sadly, Sterling is just one name among many that have made the national news in recent times after being killed by the police.
Each year over a thousand people are shot dead by the police, and African Americans are in the majority of those killed. Many in this nation agree that these injustices must stop, but the situation has become so fraught it can be hard to know where to begin.
Reform is a Beginning, but is it Enough?
The Obama administration has paid attention to the shocking abuses by police that have taken place in recent times, and some reforms have been put into place. Many legal experts note, however, that these reforms simply don’t go far enough.
Police in Cleveland, Ohio, are now claiming that reforms instituted there after charges that the police there had misused Tasers are unfair to the police force.
This comes from a city with a shocking history of the abuse of power by police, including the Tamir Rice incident (in which a 12-year-old was shot) and a 2012 incident that saw two unarmed people shot 137 times by police.
Stresses Mounting On the Police
The issues involving the abuse of power by police are complicated and unsettling. No one wants to live in a society without police protection, but when the police turn on citizens, without cause, we obviously have a recipe for disaster.
The case of the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO is another story of a police force that abused power and ignited the community in protest. The shocking killing of Michael Brown took place in an area that has a high unemployment rate for black men, and the area is fraught with racial tension. The shooting of Brown ignited the area in riots and protests, which brought tensions up even further.
As these stories unfold, it’s important for citizens to know there is legal help available to them if they feel they have been treated unfairly by the police. People of every color and social class are often stopped by police and arrested without what can be considered just cause. In these types of cases, it’s important for citizens to know they can reach out for legal help.
Equal protection under the law is guaranteed to the people in the constitution of the United States. No one should have to suffer under abuse by police. Yes, the work of a police offer is difficult and often extremely stressful, but abuse is unacceptable, always.
