cops using too much force?

Question

do you think that cops these days are using too much force? or do you think that they are just doing their job, trying not to take any risks? i want to see what people's opinions are about this.

Answer 1

Police Officers take a risk every day that they put on their uniform and step out onto the street.
Most officers do their job using only the force necessary and required to perform their duties. It is the attitude and the actions of the person being arrested that determine how much force the Officer will have to use.

Answer 2

I believe that most officers do not use too much force in the carrying out of their duties. I am sure there are some who do, just like there are teachers who abuse their students and priests who are child molesters. I would say that unless you have walked a mile in my shoes on the streets, that it may be hard to understand what we face. I have had the opportunity to be drug down the road by a teenage driver who was only getting couple minor traffic tickets. He drug my beside his SUV because he wanted to go home and did not want to get the tickets. BIg suprise to find he had drugs and paraphernalia in the car with him when it was all said and done. So, when I sprayed him with pepper spray, was it too much force. His attorney said it was, and thought I should just have let him go home while he was being detained instead of trying to place him under arrest for fleeing the scene of a traffic stop. I could have very easily been killed that day and left my wife and 1 year old son alone, for my 15 dollars an hour back when this occurred. So you make the call! Is there stupidity in law enforcment sometimes, yep there sure is, but that is because cops are humans. Just like Doctors who "practice" medicine. They are not perfect and neither are we. Thanks for the opportunity to stand on my soapbox

Answer 3

Do some use excessive force- yes they undoubtedly do,but it is the these days that leave your question open I can remember when cops used a lot more back in the 1950s when hands on was the rule and you knew the rules-if you swung at a cop you were going to get your butt kicked and there would be no followup lawsuit because everybody thought you were a damn fool to put yourself in that position in the first place

Answer 4

I feel that there are some cops out there who are using extreme force when making an arrest. For instance, cops who hit a teenage boy with their flashlight to try to "contain" him is ridiculous. I know that cops put themselves in danger by protecting others, and often don't know what they are getting themselves into when making a stop or an arrest.
Yes cops need to protect themselves, but if the suspect shows no threats toward the cops or doesnt have any weapon beside maybe a pen in his pocket, what harm can he do?
I've seen it myself on news as to how far a cop would go to basically assault a suspect, because he supposedly made him mad, come to find out that this suspect had no weapons on him whatssoever and wasn't even the right guy!
Police officers are trained to be on guard at all times.. when making a traffic stop, when doing a drug bust, when coming to investigate a possible assault and battery in a home.. they never know the intentions of the people in the incident, whether they have guns or knives, or even whether they have relatives who are also in the situation, who just hate cops and will do anything to kill one for messing with their blood.
There are some police officers out there who take their authority and abuse it, but then there are many who actually do what they are supposed to do, the right way, at the right time.

Answer 5

Officers are required to use a greater amount of force that is required to overcome the resistance given by an uncooperative person. There is no such thing as a "Fair fight" when arresting a suspect that is resisting. I get paid to win and end the confrontation quickly.

If he yells, I use the "Hands on" approach and escort him away. If he tried to punch, kick or hit me with his hands, I use a baton or other intermediate weapon(Taser, OC spray). If he pulls a knife or tries to grab a gun, I will draw my weapon and will use deadly force. But, in some situations, if other Officers are present, I can use a Taser on someone that has pulled a knife.

Answer 6

That's the reason why I don't like weapons...

Guns have a bad effect on most people... You can't help feeling powerful and more important then others...

And as it was said here... Unfortunately they don't evaluate all willing candidates as they should, so many people that have no ability do deal with such power end up on the streets with a gun and an uniform...

I don't think it's fair to blame all of them for the mistakes of some... I believe that, instead of affirming "cops are using too much force", it would be better to say "there are many idiots who have managed to become cops"...

Answer 7

Take any guy off the street. Give him several weeks of law enforcement training, a badge, and a gun and you have a cop. Some are good cops and some are bad cops. In a normal situation they perform admirably most of the time. Put them in a stressful situation and then it becomes a battle for survival. Yes, in situations it's possible for cops to use excess force because of increased adrenalin flow.

Answer 8

Probably using too much force. There are many "badge heavy cops" out there in most cities whom love to exercise their authority over others.

Answer 9

Police officers put their lives on the line every time that they put their uniform on. They have been trained to use force when it is necessary. You can never judge a police officer and their actions by just seeing it on a video or on the news. You don't know what was happening in the situation and what the officer was facing. Police officers have a family that they go home to after their shift is done...and they will do what they need to do to make sure that they make it home safe.

Answer 10

Someone must "police" the police, there are always a few bad ones but for the most part I'd say no. The thing is that the abuse of power or police brutality cases are widely publicized, unlike the daily assaults on law enforcement officers.