Topic > The need for serious legislation to control police brutality

Policing dates back to the days of Robert Peel in the early 1800s, when British "Bobbies" commanded their posts and answered cries for help of citizens. Since then, over the years, many cases and incidents involving police officers and criminals have been brought to the public's attention and seen as what is considered “police brutality.” Police brutality can be defined as “a civil rights violation that occurs when a police officer acts with excessive force, using more force against a civilian than is necessary.” (US Legal, 2012.) Some of the most common cases can be found during the civil rights movement in the Deep South states in the 1960s, as well as during the Rodney King beating and riots in 1991. Many of these cases have pushed lawmakers to impose guidelines and limitations on police discretion across the United States. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay There are many cases of police brutality around the world and some are more violent or corrupt than others, some receive more media coverage and then that's it when it gets blown out of proportion. Sometimes the cases involve racial discrimination, others are simply a bad decision by the police, and still others are just the police following their training. Many of these cases, even if they affect a small percentage of law enforcement personnel as a whole, give the police a bad reputation among the public and citizens of the United States. Most of these stereotypes towards the police as corrupt and overbearing use of discretion pass through the wires of the media and their portrayal of a news story to capture the public's attention. For the media, a headline story usually has to be about a dramatic story, an incident or a stunning incident such as a murder or some kind of extreme act. Without one or the other journalists usually fail to capture the viewer's full attention, which is their main intention in the first place. One of the most notorious cases of police brutality is the Robert Davis case in New Orleans, Louisiana. Robert Davis was a retired school teacher and was returning to New Orleans in early October 2005 to help his family weather the aftermath of the hurricane. Katrina, which had hit just a month earlier, had widespread damage and plagued the city more than it had ever seen. The incident occurred after Davis was picking up cigarettes in the French Quarter of New Orleans and was crossing the street when he was approached by officers who accused him of being belligerent and resisting arrest, when Davis said he did not he had been drinking alcohol for 25 years. (New Orleans Man, 2009) The beating was caught on tape by an Associated Press producer and then he became the victim of an assault by a New Orleans officer who was separate from the Davis incident. This was also captured on videotape and in this case the battery charges were cleared by the police officer. The Davis case made headlines on CBS National News and Davis' attorney argued that Davis was not resisting arrest and that there is a point where when he is beaten a natural survival instinct kicks in that can cause that an individual resists and reacts, but Davis never did even that. The New Orleans Police Superintendent said that any punishment on the table will be handled quickly and that the video doesn't just show all of the..