Black Lives Matter: The Misconduct In The Police Department

It’s a calm March night. The breeze is gently rustling the leaves of the neighborhood trees. The tranquil silence is broken by a shrieking cry. Law enforcement officers are dispatched to the location to respond to the situation. Upon arrival on the scene, officers are faced with what seems like a domestic violence incident. The husband storms out the house full of anger and irritation, shouting at his wife for cheating on him. The wife cries in denial and says it is just a misunderstanding. The husband, who believes he has been betrayal, announces that since it has come to this, it would not matter if both of them were dead. He begins to reach into his pants pocket. The officer on scene raises his weapon immediately in response. The husband …show more content…
The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri and the use of a chokehold on Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York City are two major events that have added to the growing movement of know as Black Lives Matter, which strives for justice and freedom of the black community. In the case of Michael Brown, where an unarmed black teenager is shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson, a white officer, witness and police testimonies do not align and evidence presented is unable to draw out a clear series of events regarding the incident (New York Times, 2014). Officer Wilson is not indicted. Likewise, in the case of Eric Garner, where his death is caused by a fatal chokehold from Officer Daniel Pantaleo, medical examiners rule Garner’s death as a homicide (Bloom & Imam, 2014). However, since the death is ruled unintentional, Officer Pantaleo is also not …show more content…
Police use of force has been a debatable topic in law enforcement and it has been a challenge as to how it can it managed. In society, while the profession as an officer requires the potential use of reasonable force, law enforcement personnel are expected by the community and the public to only use force when the situational circumstances call for the justifiable use of power necessary to respond to “legitimate purposes” (Sutherland, Ariel, & Farrar, 2015). It is as if there is an underlying social contract between police officers and the community they serve to ultimately protect, which encompasses the idea that although police gain power and rights to use possible force on citizens and are expected to safeguard the general social order, citizens expect police officers to exercise that authority only when force is absolutely necessary and the amount of force used should be “proportional” to each particular incident (Sutherland, Ariel, & Farrar, 2015). Police officers are met with legal and moral accountability to keep the social order in balance, because officer behavior and how/when officers use force on citizens greatly impact society’s attitudes and behavior towards law enforcement agencies (Sutherland, Ariel, & Farrar,