We are living in the world of fear and uncertainty. The advent of the 9/11 attack on the United States has created this fear and uncertainty. It has led to stronger laws, legislation and law enforcement to ensure that the lives of all citizens of our land are not put in danger.
Nowadays, we can see law enforcers everywhere. We see police chiefs roaming and checking every corner of our cities to make sure our sense of fear and uncertainty dissipates. In this scenario they play their role as the vanguard of the people.
There are times, however, when this is not the case. Due to their exaggerated duty to ensure security after 9/11, police officers tend to go to great lengths to eliminate all the crimes plaguing the country and the entire world. However, the other side of the coin in this new attitude of the police is police brutality. We often see cases of police brutality on television today. Statistics show that it has increased in recent years.
According to the Department of Justice, cases in which police, prison guards and other law enforcement officials have used excessive force to violate the civil rights of victims have increased in the past seven years. In Chicago alone, more than 10,000 complaints were filed against police officers between 2002 and 2004. However, of those complaint cases, only 18 resulted in significant disciplinary action. Also, in Milwaukee last year, Frank Jude and Lovell Harris were brutally beaten by three police officers who were not convicted. This caused public outrage in the city.
Going back to Chicago, police brutality initiated by police officers has really become an issue of concern. According to the University of Chicago report titled “The Chicago Police Department’s Broken System,” Chicago police officers received more complaints of police brutality per police officer than the national average. Not surprisingly, Amnesty International has used the high incidence rate of police brutality in Chicago to discredit it as a potential host for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Police brutality is just one form of police misconduct. This is a serious problem facing not only Chicago but also other cities in the United States. Although it is quite difficult to convict police officers of police brutality, getting a good, experienced civil rights attorney could be the key to a successful conviction or disciplinary action for those guilty.