Unfortunately, there are numerous causes behind this, and with so few officers being held accountable, the causes have not been adequately addressed.
The causes and issues contributing to the incidence of police misconduct are numerous and complex, and in many instances, probably not entirely understood. Some of the problems we see that contribute to a culture of police misconduct include improper training and a lack of accountability.
Without proper training and ongoing changes, many law enforcement officers will maintain the same thought process that results in countless police brutality cases today. Police officers are entitled to and do receive significant deference under the law when they use force, but just as important are our constitutional rights to be free from unreasonable uses of force.
This important balance can only be maintained if officers who use excessive force in violation of the constitution are held to account. No matter the situation, we stand with those who face police brutality. In some cases, acts of police brutality are caused by the stress of the job.
If the law enforcement officer or agency as a whole views members of the public as unsympathetic or even hostile to their role, they may act out of stress in a tense situation. ALACs offer free and confidential legal advice to witnesses and victims of corruption in more than 60 countries around the globe. In many countries, police officers and soldiers are demanding bribes from people who pass roadblocks, stay out past curfew, and want to leave quarantine centers. They are even demanding bribes from essential workers, like doctors and nurses, who are trying to get to or home from work.
In addition, in some countries, quarantine centers that were set up to isolate potentially sick people are being used to detain and punish healthy individuals who break minor rules. Corruption undermines public health measures to contain the virus and exacerbates inequality by dividing communities into those who can afford to break the rules and those who cannot.
Since the start of the pandemic, people have contacted ALACs in Guatemala, Kenya , Madagascar, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe to report police officers demanding bribes at roadblocks. The Zimbabwe media has carried reports of police demanding money from pregnant women and sick people trying to go to the hospital.
In South Africa, police officers at roadblocks have not only sought bribes but also stolen money from vehicles. One was from a bread deliveryman, who had his bike, phone, and money taken by the police despite counting as an essential worker. Another concerned a man who was arrested for not wearing a mask in his own home while playing chess with a friend. The man died from a heart attack at the police station, where he was forced to perform manual labour after he could not afford to pay a fine.
Additionally, federal law prohibits discrimination in police work. These laws prohibit conduct ranging from racial slurs and unjustified arrests to the refusal of departments to respond to discrimination complaints. Because neither the federal criminal statute nor the civil police misconduct provision provides for lawsuits by individuals, only the federal government may bring suit under these laws.
Criminal convictions are punishable by fines and imprisonment. Civil convictions are remedied through injunctive relief, a type of court order that requires a change in behavior; typically, resolutions in such cases force police departments to stop abusive practices, institute types of reform, or submit to court supervision. Private litigation against police officers or departments is difficult.
Besides time and expense, a significant hurdle to success is found in the legal protections that police enjoy. Commissions get information from the police department, pinpoint where the internal controls of the police have failed, and recommend changes in policy. The problem with these commissions is that they usually disappear after finishing their reports.
Paul Chevigny asserts that continuing independent auditors would be more effective than commissions. He envisions the function of such auditors as investigating a range of police problems, including corruption and brutality.
Prosecuting corrupt police officers. Since corruption involves criminal behavior, prosecution of corrupt police officers is possible.
Legislative control. Legislators could reevaluate laws that create the potential for corruption. Such a reassessment would be based on the recognition that a major portion of police corruption is an outgrowth of laws that criminalize drug use, prostitution, and gambling.
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