Police Use of Force
Police brutality and use of force have been prevalent and rampant over the past few years. The United States is always in the frontline when it comes to police use of force. Many citizens are against this act, but the law has not been implemented to ensure that it has ended. In most cases, racism has been stated to be the leading cause of police brutality, which is why it is still taking place. The criminal justice system has not yet been designed in such a way that those found guilty of the act can be punished to reduce the incidences (Wolfe et al., 2020). This is something that made most police officers develop the notion that they are above the law hence posing a danger to most innocent citizens. However, some nations have taken time to investigate the police use of force and also punish those who defy laws that have been put in place regarding the same.
Oscar Grant was an American citizen who was killed as a result of police brutality. Oscar Grant died at the age of 22, with police officers being behind his murder. Grant was celebrating the New Year’s party with friends when he faced his death (The Grio, 2010). Grant was killed by a BART police officer called Johannes Mehserle inasmuch as he had surrendered and accepted to be handcuffed. Grant had gone to a BART station to get services when the whole incidence took place. A police officer realized that was some commotion and therefore apprehended Grant stating that he was the cause of it all. Therefore, he was ordered to lie down and got handcuffed.
Grant did not refuse to obey the orders as Mehserle had told him. The police officer was aware of the fact that he was going against the law but still chose to pursue it. This happened because he knew that he would not be subjected to the court of law regardless of his actions. This incident happened with onlookers around, and some of them even recorded it using their phones. This meant that a stern action had to be taken because no one should be punished for being cooperative (The Grio, 2010). The footage of the incidence was disseminated all overacting to protest and ensure that such incidences would retake place in the future.
Major protests were held all over the country since no one was willing to experience such in the future. Grant accepted to be handcuffed, but he was still shot by the police officer, leading to his death. A group felt that he should have just fought the police officer if he would still die in the end. The people protested, stating that there was no need to use weapons on a already surrendered person. This was a form of brutality that no one wanted to experience again in the future.
The people also wanted the police officers to be scrutinized to ensure that they are fit for the work. They interfered with the happiness and celebrations that the people had while getting to the New Year. The use of force towards the 22 years old was so bad that it led to him losing his life. Grand was African American, which must have been the main reason why force was used. He was thought to have committed a crime since he was in a rowdy group and having fun in the process (The Grio, 2010). The police officer felt that since he was black, then he was the one behind the commotion that was taking place at the station. This is an action that led to enmity between the citizens and police officers in the area.
I do not agree with the idea of a police officer killing a surrendered suspect. Police officers have the role of maintaining law and order, and therefore they are not supposed to be seen doing anything against it (Pollock, 2017). In this case, the suspect was not intending to attack the police officer but still faced his death. If the police officer felt that Grant was not cooperating, then the best thing would be to take him to court to be judged. The court would determine if he is guilty or innocent.
The main ethical dilemma, in this case, revolves around the kind of reaction that was taken by the police officer. The young man lost his life in as much as he had surrendered and accepted to be cooperative. The police officer pursued an unlawful act even though he knew it was not necessary. The police officer did not take care of the fact that people were watching; they had all the evidence (Fryer Jr, 2019). This means that the law is not strict, which is why police officers are using force on citizens. There was also the use of race to judge Grant stereotypically. There was a notion that he was the criminal because he is black. Most blacks have suffered in the hands of police officers with no one to defend them. This is an action that will continue posing a danger and enmity in society if not corrected.
References
Fryer Jr, R. G. (2019). An empirical analysis of racial differences in police use of force. Journal of Political Economy, 127(3), 1210-1261.
Pollock, J. M. (2017). Ethical Dilemmas & Decisions in Criminal Justice. (9th ed.). Cengage Learning. ISBN-13: 978-1-305-57737-4
The Grio. (2010). “5 Lessons learned from the Oscar Case.” The Grio.
Wolfe, S., Rojek, J., McLean, K., & Alpert, G. (2020). Social interaction training to reduce police use of force. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 687(1), 124-145.