Emalee Schneider

ENG 101
7 November 17
Thetic Essay
Rough Draft
Police Brutality
As the years continue to pass, the law enforcement continues to serve the community

no matter the difficulties they have been forced to face. A police officers job is never easy; they

have to make difficult decisions on a daily basis that may jeopardize their life or someone elses

life. On top of those risks, they are given a negative title because they follow the laws of their

job. This entitlement has grown stronger, as well as some rebellious riots. These riots represent

a community of people who believe that the police are racist and unjust. Although police

officers are perceived negatively through the eyes of some, there are a collection of factors that

establish officers as beneficial and imperative.

One of the arguments that someone would make against the law enforcement would be

that they use excessive force. In the court case, Graham v. Connor, the police officer was

convicted of using excessive force on a diabetic suspect. Although the officer was only found

guilty for the force, people believed that he was prejudice towards a diabetic. On the contrary,

the court stated that The reasonableness of a particular use of force must be judged from the

perspective of a reasonable officer on the scene, rather than with the 20/20 vision of hindsight

(Miller). Officer Connor did use excessive force, but he could not be blamed for being blind

towards the fact that the victim was a diabetic.

The thing that is an inaccurate assumption about a police officer is what knowledge

he/she has. An officer cannot be convicted of misconduct because they did not know that the
suspect had a disability of some sort. I cannot say that all police officers do not break the law

because some do, but each officer has a certain standard that they must perform. If they end

up breaking the law, there is no chance that they would get away with it; they would be

punished.

I believe that one of the reasons why the law enforcement is misinterpreted is because

the media does not share everything with the public. Most of the people only hear of crimes

from the news, not because they were a witness to it. Usually, the news reporters attend the

scene after the incident and only talk about the basics and not what goes on behind the scenes.

The reporters never explain ...that crime scene investigators collecting evidence, identifying

the suspects, interrogating the suspects, and making the arrests... (Dees).

For example, in 2016, Charlotte, North Carolina had a serious riot that lasted several

days. A CMPD officer shot a man- Keith Scott because he was suspected to have a gun. The

media reported an interview with the suspects sister who pledged that there was no gun and

only a book. After that was released to the public, the riots began and accused that all of the

CMPD officers were racists against black lives and wanted them dead. Little did they know that

there was evidence caught on video of Keith Scott with a gun threatening the lives of the

officers.

If the media was careful with what they share with the public and shared accurate news,

then the public would not portray the police as detrimental. Also, police officers have to keep

their evidence in custody, so the assumptions of police officers should not be made until all the

evidence has been released. *Thoughts from Eric*

may have a higher title from the government, but they are still ordinary people who have to

follow laws. You may think that police officers are entitled to ranking themselves higher than

everyone else, but Until you have actually done the job... you will never understand what it's

actually like to be a police officer (Dee). Going through some rigorous training, each officer

learned each rule they must follow while on the job. One of those is that you do not shoot until

you or someone has been threatened. In the court case, Garner v. Tennessee, indicates that

the use of deadly force against a nonviolent fleeing felon is unconstitutional (Blume). In this

case, the felon was fleeing from the scene and posing a threat on the community, so the officer

was forced to use deadly force. Most police officers that are in this situation of to shoot, or not

to shoot, will go to extremes to avoid shooting people (Dee).

Another issue faced with police officers perceived negatively is that people assume

things without evidence. Just like the Charlotte, NC riots, some assumed that the CMPD officers

were after the black lives and wanted to purge their kind. The assumptions without evidence

ties back to the media not portraying the police officers accurately. NPR reported from an

officer that "It's time to change the narrative, because I can tell you from the facts that the

story's a little bit different as to how it's been portrayed so far, especially through social

media..." (NPR). Unfortunately, stereotypes are formed from assumptions, and I blame that

from the media. From watching the news, I notice that the reporter usually only talks about one

side of the story from a bystander who does not completely understand the situation. People

form their opinion based on what the media shares, and I believe they need to start sharing

more than the mediocre information.

part of the law enforcement. My brother, Eric Schneider, has been a part of the Charlotte

Mecklenburg Police Department- East side for seven years working on a violent crime and drug

task force. Working in the most violent small cites in the U.S with already 73 homicides this

year, Schneider works 50-60 hours, along 4pm-2am shifts with off-duty services. Erics duties as

an officer include investigating crime trends and find solutions, search warrants, undercover

work...etc. For the past seven years, he has worked on heroin traffickers, seized guns on a

weekly and sometimes daily basis, and has seized multiple kilos of cocaine and heroin and a few

thousand pounds of marijuana during his drug task force unit. Schneider has put numerous

violent convicted felons in prison ranging from 5-15 years. Also, Schneider specializes in

undercover surveillance. He is involved with his community and many have appreciated his

service; including his family. I have conducted an interview with Officer Schneider to gather his

thoughts on what people should understand about police officers.

What are your thoughts on the media and what they choose to share with the public?

If you encountered a "black lives matter" follower, how do they act towards you, how do you

handle the situation, is there anything you can say that can help them understand you (as an

officer) better?

Whats the best part of your job? Whats the scariest?

From experience, what stereotypes are inaccurate, have you ever been accused of one?

Why do you think police officers are given a negative title or sometimes portrayed

negatively?

Have police officers always been portrayed bad or has that recently started?
Have you ever experienced an officer perform incorrectly? if so, what happened after?

I understand that being a sister of a police officer does not make me capable of

understanding what they do, but that relates to everyone except the officers themselves. I

strongly believe that police officers are portrayed harshly and that should not be the case. I

dislike watching and reading about people insulting the police; I do not understand why people

believe can say negative statements. Police officers have a job of protecting citizens from harm

and they are not at fault for getting criminals off the street; it is the criminals fault for

committing the crime.

There has to be a time where we have to put our differences behind us. Police officers

have their jobs because they want to bring justice and security to communities, not to harm or

target a certain group. It is time that people realize this and not blame them for every mistake

that happens on the streets. There has already been a cookout held by police and black lives

matter where they were able to grow a bond and understand each other. The final conclusion

of the cookout was that "It takes two parties to make a healthy relationship..." (NPR). There is

no doubt that police officers are perceived negatively, but there are factors that overlooked

that prove that they are indispensable.