Causes of Police Brutality

Police officers are legally able to use force against individuals when provoked. In some cases, police use force when unprovoked or use excessive force when only moderate force is warranted. The use of excessive force can lead to severe injury and, in many cases, death. Death caused by police brutality is wrongful death and is punishable by law.

Police brutality can occur for several reasons, but the most common cause of excessive force results from the officer's psychological state, or when the police officer's perception of the situation affects how he or she reacts.

One such situation is when the officer feels disrespected. Some officers will act out against the disrespectful individual even though it is not the legal or moral thing to do. They may do this either to punish the individual for disrespecting them or to intimidate any other people present.

Another situation from which excessive force may arise is racial profiling. An officer who racially profiles individuals may overact to crimes committed by individuals of certain ethnicities or falsely accuse an individual of a crime because of his or her ethnicity. Both cases may count as brutality.