Lambert 1

Hailey Lambert
English 101
Professor Alicia Bolton
17 November 2014
Police and Their Overuse of Weapons
Many critics are stating that cops are misusing their power and force. There has been many
different arguments as to if this is true. In a recent case, there was an 18 year old boy who was shot
multiple times by a cop during a protest. The boy was shot six times and left dead in the middle of the
street. The cops didnt even cover up his body or call an ambulance. They left him lying in the middle of
the street with no respect. Cops are starting to use their guns more and not trying to save the lives of
people anymore. Faith in cops is getting less and people are starting to fear them more. A recent case in
Litchfield has a lot of proof that cops do not care about peoples lives anymore. A woman who was
about 120lbs was in her apartment claiming to committing suicide. When the cops arrived to help her,
she charged one with a knife. The only thing was, it was a butter knife. If the cops would have been to
school for their job, they would have learned how to dismiss the woman and get the knife from her. Yet,
these cops decided that with the 3 of them that were there, they couldnt stop this small, petite woman.
Instead, all three cops pulled out their guns and shot the woman. According the coroner, the woman
had multiple gunshot wounds. All of these wounds could have been avoided. This womans life could
have been saved, which was kind of the point of the cops going to her home in the first place. Cops are
getting trigger happy and they want to use their guns more than they should. Police officers should
not abuse their physical powers that they obtain like they have been recently. Although cops are here to
help people and keep them safe, they are starting to overuse their powers and harm more people than
saving them.

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Many people believe that police business is a hard business to go into. Many times the police
have to make life or death decisions in the blink of an eye. They normally make the best decisions that
help save their lives and keep them safe. Many cops have to go into a bomb situation that could cause
them to lose a limb or even risk their lives for the lives of others. Police officers are required to stay calm
when an individual responds to them, no matter how they are responding. According to the Presidents
Message in the Police Chief article, Last year 151 law enforcement officers were killed in the line of
duty in the United States, representing a 13 percent increase over 1999. On average, a police officer is
killed every 57 hours, making law enforcement Americans most dangerous profession (qtd. In Cassedy
58). Officers are faced with many different attacks on a daily basis. Some that survive these attacks end
up having many serious problems that are not related to physical attacks. Many cops suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder. There as an officer that was shot in the chest but survived because of her
bullet proof vest. She was physically okay but she was not anywhere close to being emotionally okay.
When a few police officers were interviewed, they stated that even through the challenges, being an
officer is rewarding. They feel fulfilled when they get to protect the public and see criminals getting off
the streets and going to jail. What people do not see though is that cops are critically hurting more and
more people. Instead of trying to get someone to stand down now they are just starting to shoot.
People are beginning to lose their faith in cops because of recent incidents.
This is an ongoing argument about cops and how they are using their guns way too much. Many
people are beginning to lose faith in cops and are becoming afraid of them. Many different shootings
have happened over the past couple of years that was unnecessary. Cops are starting to use their
authority for no good. I understand that some people do have to be shot, but for one person to be shot
37 times by 4 different cops, that is not necessary. According to CBS News, back in Last December, 23
cops shot two suspects 377 times. These two suspects didnt even have weapons on them. The worst
thing about all of this is when cops do this, they get away with it. This is becoming a big ordeal

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throughout the whole country. The cops then opened fire with at least 50 rounds; neighbors said they
could see the men inside moving; the officers told them them put up their hands, which they did, at
which point police opened fire again in a scene so bloodily chaotic that even dispatchers proclaimed
there were "too many officers (qtd. In Grotesque Overkill: 23 Cops, 377 Rounds, Two Suspects, Zero
Guns, par. 1). This quote came from neighbors that was around when the cops opened fire on the two
men. They said that all you could hear was the gunshots going off, which made everyone dive into their
floors. It is even stated that the police officers were laughing as they were shooting the unarmed car.
This caused much disbelief in the community. Many people were not sure if they should fear or trust the
cops. After watching someone laugh and enjoy shooting two men, how would you be able to trust them
anymore? The family does not even want to believe what happened to their sons. You would think that
since police are trying to protect you and your family, they wouldnt enjoy killing one of your family
members.
Police brutality is becoming a nationwide ordeal. How can the society trust the police force
when they are killing innocent people? Families are losing loved ones, and people are losing their
friends. Cops have this mindset that they can shoot anyone as long as they feel harmed or threatened.
People should be able to trust cops and not have to fear them. When they intervene, police officers
expect to receive deference not only because of their uniform, but also because they are themselves
adults and those with whom they are interacting are only kids (qtd. in Waddington, pag. 47). Police
think that since they are older and have more authority, then they can get away with anything that they
do. This shouldnt be the case. I believe that a cop should be punished for doing something that a
regular citizen would get punished for doing. Police officers are getting to use to getting away with
everything that they do and not having to face time for it. If a citizen gets in trouble for shooting or
killing an innocent civilian, than a police officer should get in trouble for the same thing. In a case in
Ferguson, Missouri, a young 18 year old boy was killed. It is stated that Some of the bullets struck

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Brown in the arm from the front, leaving wounds that many protesters said verified that Brown had had
his arms up in a sign of surrender when he was killed (qtd. in Commentary par. 19). This is a proving
point that cops are not even considering saving people. Even people that are surrendering to the police
are still getting shot. Police are getting curious as to why so many riots are starting to take place. Maybe
they should look at the things that they are doing and how they are starting to treat the civilians and
maybe they will figure out that they are the reasons that these riots are starting to occur.
Back in July, there was a woman who was claiming that she was going to commit suicide. When
three deputies arrived at her house in Litchfield, she charged at one with a knife. The sad thing is this
was just a butter knife. There were three cops there, three MALE cops. I knew the woman from one of
my friends. She was a very small woman. The cops could have easily grabbed her and taken the knife
from her and sent her somewhere that she could have gotten help. This woman did have mental
problems. Instead of doing it the way the cops should have done it, they shot her. The thing is, they
didnt just shoot her once according to the coroner she had MULTIPLE gun-shot wounds. They could
have easily gotten her down without shooting her, or at least just shot her once to stop her. What the
sad thing is though, is that the cops were not even faced with charges. They were just put on leave for a
while. Also, this women had a 3-year-old daughter that will now not have a mom to grow up with.
Saving the life of this women should have been the police officers first priority. Instead, all three men
pull out their guns and took her life away. It is also very common for police to blame the victim instead
of just admitting that they were wrong. Many people believe that when a cops shooting goes under
investigation, that all findings and everything that is found should be published. Since people are
starting to lose faith in cops, they feel as if they cops are covering up evidence that is found in the
investigations. According to Police Brutality, Amnesty International acknowledges the importance of
developing non-lethal or less than lethal force options to decrease the risk of death or injury inherent
in the use of firearms or other impact weapons such as batons (qtd. in Fitzgerald, pag. 135). By trying to

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stop people, cops are just using higher forces. This doesnt help, it just mainly causes the victim to freak
out more. If you pulled out a gun on me and I didnt have any weapons or anything on me, I would
probably freak out and be terrified.
In conclusion, cops are just getting to use to using their guns and not trying to save the lives of
citizens. Some of these people that are being involved in these shootings are just innocent people that
need a little help. Maybe if cops were in the situation that the person was in mentally, they would
understand. What happened to cops trying to save and help the people? Now its just which one can
shoot faster and how many times they can shoot. This shouldnt be the case. Cops are supposed to be
here for protection, but where is our protection? Cops are causing civilians to become scared of them.
Would you trust your life with one of these police officers?

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Works Cited
Zimet, Abby. Grotesque Overkill: 23 Cops, 377 Rounds, Two Suspects, Zero Guns. May 13, 2014.
http://www.commondreams.org/further/2014/05/13/grotesque-overkill-23-cops-377-roundstwo-suspects-zero-guns
Rothman, Noah C. "Taking sides in Ferguson: the media's shameful performance." Commentary 138.3
(2014): n. pag. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 12 Nov. 2014.
Fitzgerald, Sheila. Police Brutality. Detroit: Greenhaven/Thomson Gale 2007. 135. Print
Cassedy, Patrice. Law Enforcement. San Diego, CA: Lucent, 2002. 45-61. Print
Waddington, P.A.J.. Policing Citizens: Authority and Rights. London, GBR: Routledge, 1998. ProQuest
ebray. Web.