Judicial Misconduct and Police Brutality: Investigating the Legacy and Geography
Judicial misconduct is the use of unnecessary force by law enforcement officials when carrying out their duties. The legacy of police violence against African Americans goes back to the time of segregation when law enforcement suppressed all provocation from black citizens trying to flee their masters. Particularly in a democratic society, there are still cases of police brutality, as demonstrated by violent footage shown throughout the United States. The aim of this research is to investigate and discuss police violence against black people. The paper will predominantly focus on the geography part of the problem, i.e., the high-risk areas, the reasons for occurrence in the particular regions, and the effects of the menace to the victims of police brutality.
Data on Police Brutality
According to an organization for mapping police violence, there has been increased police brutality and killings across the United States in the last ten years. Statistics show that officers from police departments across the country killed 1152 black people in 2015, 309 in 2016 and as of the writing of this essay, there were 207 cases of police officers killing black people in 2017 (Sinyangwe). Data shows that most of the police brutality occur in the central, Midwest, southern and eastern regions of the United States. For example, Oklahoma city in the Midwest records the highest police killings of black people compared to other police departments in the main cities. For instance, a black person is seven times more likely to experience police brutality in Oklahoma than in Los Angeles.
2015 had the most cases of police violence towards African Americans and the consequential killings, with Oklahoma City, St. Louis, San Fransisco, New Orleans and Oakland among the highest casualties. There are 60 major police departments in the country and only one, River Side Police Department, did not kill a black person in 2016. Further computation shows that 100 % of the people murdered by officers of 14 of the 60 major departments were black and only 5 % of police departments killed all white people. Therefore, police brutality is disproportionate because while black people form 20 % of the population living in the major cities, African Americans are 41 % of the victims of police brutality (Sinyangwe).
The physical geographical presentation above of police brutality shows that most of killings and violence occur in areas where there are small percentages of black people. For example, a higher proportion of African Americans live in Atlanta, Georgia that in Oklahoma City. Thus, Oklahoma city that is dominated by white people has more cases of police violence that Atlanta.
The human geographical representation of police violence mirrors the physical geographical data and statistics from the organization for mapping police violence. For example, police sympathizers always argue that police use of excessive force results from escalated cases when police confront black people in criminal activities. However, according to Sinyangwe, 30 % of the victims of police killings in 2015 were unarmed, and 69 % of African Americans killed in 2014 were non-violent (Sinyangwe). Therefore, the level of crime in any particular city is not related to the level of police brutality. The lack of association between crime and police brutality is further evident by the figures showing the accountability of police officers found culpable of violence. The 2015 Police mapping report shows that 90 % of the police violence cases did not lead to any liability by the officers involved (Sinyangwe).
Causes of Police Brutality
The primary reason why police officers, who are mostly white, use excessive force when dealing with black people is racism. According to a poll done by NORC center for public affairs research in several areas in Chicago, a majority of blacks said the first encounter with a police officer is violent compared to white people who said police only use excessive force when the need arises (Connelly et al.). Therefore it is evident that police brutality is racially motivated and occurs mainly in areas where there is a sizeable percentage of black people. History records instances of clashes between police and black people that ended in harm of police officers. Connelly and co-researchers contend that the fear of black people by police especially in black neighborhoods is another leading factor of police violence. Police show more aggression to civilians to counter any intended harm however misconceived by the police officer. Thus, a simple act of disobeying the orders of an officer breed paranoia such that an officer takes extreme caution by performing a grave abuse of the law through shooting or violently attacking a civilian.
Police brutality occurs in some areas highlighted due to high crime rate. For example, most encounters between officers and young black men occur at night during police patrols. Black neighborhoods have a culture of people spending most of the evening outside which causes suspicion on the part of police officers. Therefore, a police officer in patrol is likely to encounter young black men on the road and be compelled to do a random search or questioning which could escalate due to opposing perspectives of the situation at hand. Black people see walking through the night as a right while police officer sees such activities as having malicious intent.
This research submits that police violence in white-dominated states such as West Virginia, Oklahoma and South Carolina is a result of by white supremacy due to a culture of white dominance over black people dating back to civil war era.
Impact of Police Brutality
The first and the greatest incidence of police brutality is the eroded trust between law enforcement agencies and the black community. Research shows that over the last one decade, the number of black people who use the 911 emergency call service has reduced significantly, which ultimately leads to indirectly aiding and abetting criminal activities. For example, after a video of a white officer beating a black man was publicized in Milwaukee in 2004, crime-reporting calls declined significantly with the highest decrease witnessed among African-American neighborhoods (Trilling).
Secondly, the fact that judges acquit most of the police officers recorded killing or injuring black young men causes psychological stress (Alang et al.). Furthermore, the regular circulation of videos showing police violence can affect young African American children who can grow in fear of law enforcement. Constant witnessing of police brutality causes health changes to the body in response to perceived dangerous encounters, for instance, increased heart rate and reduced cognitive functions of body organs.
Thirdly, the fact that a police officer recorded killing or injuring an innocent black man can be acquitted exhibits a scheme of disempowerment of black people (Alang et al.). When black people are treated unjustly and still don’t get justice through the law, they are bound to conclude that the dark history of slavery, social injustice, and unfair treatment is still alive in America.The lack of confidence in the law enforcement agencies can translate into mistrust of all government institutions due to the perceived lack of power to seek what is right as a result of previous failed attempts to get justice.
Fourthly, police brutality affects the productivity of black people due to emotional and psychological scars suffered. Injuries, disabilities, and incarceration resulting from excessive use of force affect the economic power of the victims. Furthermore, hospital bills, mass protests, and funerals take up finances that the community can channel into other matters thus leaving the black community in a continued lack of adequate resources (Alang et al.).
Conclusion
The distrust between law enforcement and the African American community is a major problem in the United States. Police activity mapping shows there is more prevalence of police brutality in the Midwest and southern states of America. Racism is the primary cause of police brutality, but underlying factors such as fear of physical harm of police officers also cause excessive use of force. Police brutality erases public confidence in law enforcement agencies as well as other government institutions. Also, police violence affects the black community socially, economically, financially and psychologically.
Works Cited
Sinyangwe, Samuel. “Mapping Police Brutality.” mappingpoliceviolence.org. N.p., 2017. Web. [mappingpoliceviolence.org/] 25 Sept. 2017.
Connelly, Marjorie et al. “Law Enforcement And Violence: The Divide Between Black And White Americans.” NORC, University of Chicago. N.p., 2017. Web. [www.apnorc.org/projects/Pages/HTML%20Reports/law-enforcement-and-violence-the-divide between-black-and-white-americans0803-9759.aspx] 25 Sept. 2017.
Alang, Sirry et al. Police Brutality And Black Health: Setting The Agenda For Public Health Scholars. American Journal of Public Health, 2017. Web. [www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5388955/] 25 Sept. 2017.
Trilling, David. “Police Violence And Black Communities: Analyzing The Trust Deficit.” Journalist’s Resource. N.p., 2016. Web. [journalistsresource.org/studies/society/race-society/police violence-black-communities-emergency-calls] 25 Sept. 2017.
