Police Brutality

Police brutality is the excessive use of force by law enforcement personnel in their encounters with civilians. The law allows the use of force on subjects who are unwilling to comply with officer orders. Supreme court decisions have upheld the use of deadly force by officers when they had had reasonable belief they were acting in self-defense or the defense of others or a violent suspect flees and poses a potential risk. However, when the use of force goes beyond what is appropriate for the situation and causes unnecessary pain, safety risks, or death, the use of force may be considered excessive.

Some incidents of police brutality involve the use of a weapon such as a baton, Taser, or gun....