When Should You Charge Police Brutality

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Police brutality is defined as intentional, excessive force used by an officer of the law on a civilian. This excessive force, whether physical or verbal, is outlawed in most countries. Unfortunately, police brutality still runs rampant in many developed countries such as the United States, which are considered racially motivated in most cases. For instance, the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s were marred with complaints of police brutality, as peaceful protesters were beaten, gassed, and hosed down. This stirred national outrage and sympathy for the protesters, and opened the eyes of Americans to the abuse of power by the authorities.

Another example of a highly publicized case of police brutality in the United States was the case of Rodney King. After being pulled over and arrested by white police officers, he was beaten while handcuffed. This was all taken by a passing civilian who, at that time, had a video camera. After the investigation, all police officers were acquitted despite being videotaped in the act. This sparked the infamous 1992 Los Angeles Riots, which cost the state of California millions of dollars in damages.

Instances of police brutality

The common defense of officers facing police brutality charges is that the act of brutality was done in response of "contempt of cop," meaning the officer was provoked by the civilian to use excessive force. If in any instance you feel you are a victim of police brutality, make sure that you have not provoked or disrespected the officer in any way. If you were fully cooperative with the arresting officer during the DUI charge and were still abused, then you have all the reasons to file for a police brutality complaint.

Whenever an officer arrests you for a DUI charge, be sure to contact your lawyer immediately. Stay polite and silent. You can do the sobriety tests voluntarily. Remember that even if you tested positive, the results of sobriety tests alone are not enough to incriminate you. If you were abused, have a medical record to establish a strong case against the officer, so it won't be your word against his or hers. Ask your lawyer for further advice.