Is police brutality really getting worse ?

[tanker]

The newsmedia constantly portrays police using excessive amounts of force. But I wonder if the media is showing the exception as opposed to the rule. The media never shows when the police use restraint.

Do you think police brutality is actually getting worse ?

 

[missbishi]

I think that the media do senstationalize things. After all, they never report on any of the countless examples of good police work which are carried out daily. The media is simply se;lecting storeis that they know will provoke a reaction. I do hold them partly responsible for the current public opinion of the police in the USA.

 

[Mackmax]

I have seen plenty of news reports commending officers for their good deeds, and covering the deaths and funerals of police officers who died on the job.
Police brutality isn't getting worse, but I do believe that we're now shining light on the problem. Before, many of us never thought about police brutality, but now we realize that it is still a very serious issue. Considering that most news companies are sponsored and owned by conservatives, I doubt that they are trying to make police look bad.

 

[Kittyworker]

No, I don't think its getting worse. I think that its being reported more and that people are trying to provoke the police into responding more often because they think doing so will get them on TV. Police should be held to a higher standard than most people. They are taught to control their anger, but they are still human. Police brutality is simply a hot button issue right now and the media will report on anything that even approaches that description, regardless of the facts surrounding the incident.

 

[tanker]

No, I don't think its getting worse. I think that its being reported more and that people are trying to provoke the police into responding more often because they think doing so will get them on TV. Police should be held to a higher standard than most people. They are taught to control their anger, but they are still human.

Police brutality shouldn't happen, but with the amount of abuse cops have to take it is amazing it doesn't happen more often. People who attempt to provoke others should be forced to take lessons in how to be polite. Or maybe people are just more stressed now days.

 

[Muthoni]

I think that there have been changes in the police force. I hear of cases of police beating their spouse or at worst killing them as they sleep. There was a recent incident in my region where a police officer went to the station in the morning shot dead his colleagues and then killed himself with the remaining bullet. I wonder if the level of stress has escalated.

 

[Rainman]

Social media has made it possible for the misdeeds of some police officers. The U.S is huge and it's possible for some bad cops in say L.A to beat up a suspect. Some days later another bad cop beats up a suspect in N.Y. When people see the news stories detailing the violence, they make the assumption that police brutality is rampant in the U.S. The fact though is, if people respected police, didn't try to run off when stopped, etc, etc, then quite obviously we'd hear less of these [horror] stories.

 

[primalclaws1974]

The news rarely shows the good qualities of humanity. I don't believe brutality is worse than it was in the past. That does not mean that civilians are not getting more violent, and the police have to respond equally (legally) violent. There is a big difference between necessary violence and brutality. Sometimes it is hard to ascertain the difference, but that's why most departments automatically put officers on leave in extreme violent situations where someone is hurt or killed.

 

[blur92]

I don't believe it is getting worse. There has always been police brutality. If anything, I think it was more frequent years ago, but it just fell under the radar more. The media is more advanced now so stories can be shared and focused in on more than before. Also, the media tends to focus on anything negative. As stated by a couple other users, good deeds are overlooked. This happens especially when there is one prominent case in the media concerning police brutality. It almost becomes a trend for discussion and any incidence gets brought up. Yet, those who are actually doing their jobs correctly are not mentioned.

 

[Rosyrain]

I think the police are actually being a little more careful of it these days because of all the media attention surrounding it. An officer does not want to get portrayed in the media in that sort of light. I know that the presincts around where I live take that stuff very seriously. They still have a job to do, but can't go overboard.

 

[Rhoda D'Ettore]

We as citizens bestow a responsibility upon police officers to make life and death decisions based on their training and experience. If it comes down to a dead cop or a dead criminal, I would rather have a dead criminal. There is quite a difference between police brutality attacking an innocent person, and officers needing to restrain a criminal on drugs. Are there incidents of excessive force? Absolutely. But not EVERY incident is, and just like with all things of political correctness, we are now putting every incident under a microscope.

It is not getting worse.