The American public is questioning police conduct following incidents of excessive brutality against people of different races.

BACKGROUND
Tension spiked in 2014, becoming a major topic of national media with the deaths of multiple people including two African-American men, Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in New York. Brown and Garner were met with reactions from the police which led to their deaths.

Protests and “die-ins” started across the US in 2014 and continued after a grand jury decision did not indict (accuse or charge) the officers in both Brown’s and Garner’s cases.

See this list of other civilian deaths connected to police brutality.

In December 2014, President Obama requested $75 million to get 50,000 more police wearing body cameras.

Some question the current system of the police force. They believe there is institutionalized racism where some people are met with unnecessary, excessive police brutality based on stereotypes and misjudgments, and it’s been happening for a long time. They believe measures need to be taken to ensure all people are safe.

Others do not agree. They say we should not question our police force – the police put themselves at risk daily to protect us. “As an NYPD assistant chief put it, “We don’t want a few bad apples or a few rogue cops damaging the police’s good name.”

What do the police have to say?

One policeman's view

Another policeman's view

These are just two views via The Washingtonian.

Police brutality and racism ignited a wave of protests across the US starting in 2014. The deaths of Michael Brown and Eric Garner, among many others, caused outrage. Some say the system of the police force should be questioned – some say it is solid and it should not. Some say it should be questioned but not in relation to race. So, the issue gets complicated.

Are police brutality and racism connected? Either way, is police brutality a real concern? And how should all of this be addressed?

WANT MORE?
Besides being costly, it seems having the police wearing body cameras is tricky. Read more here.

The Baltimore Sun investigated police brutality, finding Baltimore paid $5.7 million to victims since 2011 for police misconduct lawsuits. Read details on the cases and the Sun’s investigations here. In response to that, Baltimore looked for solutions quickly. The Marshall Project explains one solution, Baltimore’s Polite Police Reform.