Rodney King

Police are allowed to use force during the course of their daily activities. Force can be used to make arrests, maintain order, or keep the peace. The important thing is that the police officer is able to gain control of the situation. How the officer gains control is left up to his or her judgment: "In other words, an officer most often attempts to take control of a confrontation by defining the situation" (Alpert and Dunham, 1997, p. 222). The officer has a range of force options from which to choose. Sometimes the mere presence of the police officer is enough control. At other times, verbal commands are needed. The compliance hold (physical force) is the next stage of control, followed by the use of non-lethal weapons such as the baton or chemical spray. The last resort is the use of deadly force. Guidelines define when deadly force should be used: "The use of such force is prescribed by state and federal statutes

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eir fellow cops, even when these officers engage in illegal activity. As Alpert and Dunham (1997) observe, "As with other subcultures, the police subculture involves secrecy and isolation from those who are not part of the group" (p. 107). Police officers who buy into this subculture project a tough, macho image and are distrustful of outsiders. In other words, an "us" against "them" mentality is created. Part of this mentality is understandable. The police put their lives on the line every day. They have to be able to trust their fellow officers because lack of trust can create a dangerous situation. But too often the police code of silence has been used to cover up extreme cases of police brutality and even murder. A major cause of police brutality is the belief that police officers are "soldiers" in a "war" on crime. The war mentality says it is okay to do certain things that would not be allowed under normal conditions. Police adopt this mentality because of citizens, whose fear of crime has reached an all-time high, and because of politicians, who publicize the notion that tough cops prevent crime. In response, the public believes that the tougher the cop, the better the effect on crime, and so citizens tend to vo
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Approximate Word count = 1994
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)

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