When Do Police Go To Far?

Matt Crispo
The Issue
We have all heard stories or seen
videos shared around the internet
that show a police officer showing
excessive force. It is always in the
news and is a very prominent issue in
communities. There is no exact
definition of excessive force, expert
say it is, Any force beyond whats
necessary to arrest a suspect and
keep police and bystanders safe.
A local example of this is the
shooting of a dog name Geist.
The officers are being accused of
excessive force for shooting the
dog while looking for a lost child.
There as been an outcry from the
public and a call for the officer to
be fired.
What Should Be Done?
There is a lot of debate
about what should be done
to officers who are accused
of using excessive force.
There are split views on
what should and can be
done.

Nothing
Police officers are humans.
They may feel threatened
and get spooked and act
aggressively in order to
protect themselves. Videos
and news stories may not
get the whole story and its
often the civilians word vs
the officers. The officers
were just doing their job.
Punishment
Unfortunately there are
those officers that abuse
their power and act
criminally. Those who act
that way and assault
civilians should be held
accountable and face up to
their actions.
If it is not a fire able
offense, the police
department should instruct
the officer to take classes
on how to better deal with
tough situations and review
their performance and see
if they should still be a
police officer.
My opinion
I feel that people often are to quick to judge the actions of a police officer.
Officers are human also and get spooked and fear for their lives. People
these days will just shoot you for looking at them funny. They are just
protecting themselves and doing what they think is best. Unfortunately
there are bad officers that abuse their power and act criminally. People
often bad mouth police until they need them. If you dont like the police
and always talk bad about them then dont call them the next time your
car gets stolen or a criminal act happens to you. Being a police officer is
dangerous and is not an easy job. They put their lives on the line for
ungrateful people everyday. There will always be those bad officers, just as
there will always be bad doctors, teachers, and people.
Works Cited
Koerner, Claudia. "Protesters Sue Anaheim Police for Excessive Force." The Orange County Register. Orange
Country Register, 30 July 2014. Web. 31 July 2014.
Reavy, Pat. "Chief Sternly Responds to Public Abuse over Dog Shooting."DeseretNews.com. Deseret News,
24 June 2014. Web. 31 July 2014.
Segan, Sascha. "What Is Excessive Force?" ABC News. ABC News Network, 14 July 2014. Web. 30 July 2014.
Tarleton, Michael. "Resisting Arrest When Police Use Excessive Force | Nolo.com." Nolo.com. NOLO, n.d.
Web. 31 July 2014.