Police Brutality

[nmballa]

Interesting article...

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081224/hl_nm/us_police_er

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – In a survey of a random sample of U.S. emergency physicians, virtually all said they believed that law enforcement officers use excessive force to arrest and detain suspects.
The sample included 315 respondents. While 99.8 percent believed excessive force is used, almost as many (97.8 percent) reported that they had managed cases that they suspected or that the patient stated had involved excessive use of force by law enforcement officers.
Nearly two thirds (65.3 percent) estimated that they had treated two or more cases of suspected excessive use of force per year among their patients, according to a report of the survey published in the January 2009 issue of the Emergency Medicine Journal.
Dr. Jared Strote of the University of Washington, Seattle, and a multicenter team also found that emergency physicians at public teaching hospitals were roughly four times more likely to report managing cases of suspected use of excessive force than those at university or community teaching emergency departments.
Blunt trauma inflicted by fists or feet was the most common type of injury cited in cases of suspected use of excessive force, followed by "overly tight" handcuffs.
Most emergency physicians (71.2 percent) admitted that they did not report cases of suspected use of excessive force by law enforcement officers.
A large majority (96.5 percent) reported that they had no departmental policies on reporting their suspicions or they did not know of a policy to guide their actions, and 93.7 percent said they had received no education or training in dealing with these situations.
However, most emergency physicians (69.5 percent) felt that it was within their scope of practice to refer cases of suspected use of excessive force for investigation and almost half (47.9 percent) felt that emergency physicians should be legally required to report cases of suspected use of excessive force by law enforcement officers.
These findings, Strote and colleagues conclude, "suggest that national emergency medicine organizations in the USA should become involved, jointly developing and advocating for guidelines to manage this complex issue."

[tball]

Excessive force based on what? The beat-up perp's story about what happened? Cracka, please. There's no way to know if force is excessive unless you know how much force was necessary, which means these docs would pretty much have to be witnesses.

If a guy gets torn up after he's handcuffed or unconcious, obviously something is wrong. Otherwise, I'm not sure how someone that didn't see the arrest can really know what's excessive.

[Faust]

...

[E.J.]

[edrex]

tball, x2

[JeffR]

There’s always going to be some instances of excessive force, since there are always the few who love power tripping. However I personally think in 99% of the cases it’s the so called victim/criminal’s fault. As they have to realize that the cops hold all the power and your just going to have to accept the fact that you got busted and let them slap the cuffs on you, without trying to fight. Otherwise you’re just going to make it worse for yourself.

For example a year ago, I got drunk tanked, long story short I deserved it. However the cops did initially rough me up as they slammed me into a wall and then tackled me to the ground. However I calmly allowed them to place the cuffs on me and was polite and offered respect to the cops. At the end of the night, they drove me back home, as in their words “we normally don’t do this, but you were very compliant and listened exactly to what we said.”

You simply have to give respect to get respect.

[hco]

I hate cops, I still have yet to meet a decent police officer that is working on the streets, the only nice ones that I know are sherriff's (sp?) or higher ranking officers (detectives).

[edrex]

Its pretty fashionable to hate them, until you find yourself in a situation that you need them. It'd be badass if police only had to protect and serve people that liked them and not all the dickheads that run around spouting off about hating them.
"Oh, your kid is missing... good luck with that..."

[hco]

Maybe if they didn't stereotype younguns like myself and actually did their job that would be great. They are too busy busting houes parties, and have yet to find the kids that EVERYONE knows burgled 13 houses total now.

[edrex]

Ahhh, you stereotyping them is fine, but they can't stereotype you? Gotcha.
For what its worth, I have met more nice, personable officers then ones I would consider to be dicks.

[hco]

I am sure they have met some nice teenagers, like my girlfriend, who they have let off of speeding three times now because she has tits. But, no matter how nice I am to them, and it doesn't matter if I don't argue or what they pulled me over for, but for some reason my car needs to be searched consistently.

[E.J.]

You are quite the victim hco...

[DJew Jake]

The minute i read this article i realized that the point of the doctors made no sense since they were not at the scene of the arrest...

But from watching shows like cops I see the use of excess force all the time.

[tball]

The smart cops know how to apply excessive force without leaving evidence...or they just dump the body in the bay.

[Dragonlady8]

[hco]

I'm not a victim, I am just in a small town where cops are power tripping assholes. Oh, and let's not forget the cop that arrested me one time, he just got arrested for beating his wife and having posession of cocaine. Our police force is terriffic!

[nmballa]

I posted the article to spur some conversation. I agree you have to know the circumstances of each individual situation.

I just thought of a funny quote from my buddy. The other day we were lifting and shooting the stuff. He has been working as a deputy in the county jail for about four years. He is about to take a job as a deputy sheriff. He says, "cops are assholes, my dad's an door knob, my brother is an door knob, I'm an door knob, and every person I work with is an door knob." The guy next to us say's "I'm on the force too" and just laughs. Thought it was kind of funny.

Maybe it's like nursing. I've always found the girls I dated that were nurses just kind of became desensitized over time to others suffering. Maybe cops just become aggressive and forceful having to deal with the same stuff everyday in and out.

[Neognosis]

I think you are right, and I also think that power corrupts, and I also think that the type of person who is likely to seek a job as a police officer likes to have that power and they draw a lot of self esteem from being in charge of people. I honestly think that a lot of them get a rush out of intimidating and dominating people, and the idea that they are in an elite group that does each other favors. I think they start to see themselves as separate and above the rest of society.

[jonyb]

I always thought cops were d icks until I quit breaking the law. I was the one in the wrong and acting like an idiot (driving offenses). Now I know several cops personally and see things from both sides of the fence.

I do believe that sometimes there may be excessive force used, but police officers put their lives on the line everyday to make a living and support their families. they never know when someone's gonna have a gun in their pocket with a bullet waiting for them. If they don't think that way and get complacent with their duty, something bad can happen.

[Neognosis]

They can be vigilant and carefull and do their duty while respecting those they serve though. Some do, some don't. The ones who are not respectful make a more lasting impression than those that are, unfortunately.

I don't remember the cop who waved me through the intersection and said "have a nice day sir..." but I sure as hell remember the cop who pulled me over for doing 5 over the limit, called me "boy" and told me to "keep your f'ing mouth shut" or he would find something to bring me to jail for.

But had this guy just written me a ticket and said "sir, you will have the opportunity to explain to the judge that you were late for work if you plead 'not guilty' on the ticket," I probably would have forgotten him too.

[Dragonlady8]

[DJew Jake]

cameraboy, Maybe because the cop who was polite was not doing anything special... He was acting the way a person should act?

[Ctipping]

I have personally had my ass kicked on more than a few occasions by police officers. I have been hit with nightsticks and kicked in the stomach while handcuffed. As a result, i find myself more scared of cops than i am of the people they are supposed to be protecting me from. I know im only speaking from personal experience, and it probably isn't a fair representation of cops everywhere, but i am inclined to believe that these reports have some merit. It's a terrible situation to be put in though because you can't legally defend yourself, and i do believe that many cops abuse that fact.

[Neognosis]