Minorities and Police Misconduct
I. Thesis Statement:
Police misconduct can happen to anyone that runs into a official with a hidden agenda. However, police misconduct usually happens to minorities and in communities that are underserved. When the police target these minority groups they cause the minority groups to not trust officials, elevates the crime rate in underserved areas, and can destroy the minorities quality of life.

II. Major Supporting Idea #1:
Minorities lose trust with officials when there is malicious police conduct.
·they feel more attacked than protected.
O “relationship between the police and minorities, especially African Americans, has been marked by a long history of violence and mistrust.” (Lersch,1999)

·minorities are targeted, and are cheated out of tax money for programs.
The authors also used certain court cases to prove the fact. In this editorial, the authors decided to show how much money was being spent by comparing what the money could buy if it was not spent on police misconduct cases. This gives the reader a more physical example to how dire the situation is than using just numerical figures. (The Daily Record, 2011)

·minorities feel they are not going to have legal support.
“This occurs despite the fact that race is often the focal point of misconduct in a way that disability status is not.” (Clark,2002)

III. Major Supporting Idea #2:
Crime rates in underprivileged areas increase because minorities do not believe police that commit misconduct will provide assistance.
·Self defense
·Police Brutality in 1996, the city of Saint Petersburg, Florida experienced a disturbance after a white police officer fatally shot an African American male during a traffic stop. (Lersch,1999)

Criminal offenses by officials o Assaulting another patron in a night club would be an example of off-duty police misconduct (Crime and Misconduct Commission,07-11)

o o IV. Major Supporting Idea #3:
Police misconduct destroys minorities quality of life in many ways. o Living in fear of criminals and officials
“This is dangerous for people of color because judges ensure that their rational and innocent reactions to police may get them shot” (Clark,2002) o taking matters into their own hands

o feeling cheated by the legal system
“Students and faculty alike were shocked and angered at the spectacle of massed law enforcement officers in riot gear arresting hundreds of students, dragging off by their heels some who went limp to lengthen the proceedings.” (Eaton)

1.

Annotated Bibliography
Scholarly Journal 1:
Lersch, K. (1999). POLICE MISCONDUCT AND MINORITY CITIZENS: EXPLORING KEY ISSUES. Justice Professional, 12(1), 65. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article investigates how police misconduct affects the minority groups and how the police commit the most misconduct with minority groups. This article goes on to explain that the more misconduct, the less trust minorities will have with officials, which will increase the crime rate.
Scholarly Journal 2:
Clark, T. (2002). PROTECTION FROM PROTECTION: SECTION 1983 AND THE ADA'S IMPLICATIONS FOR DEVISING A RACE-CONSCIOUS POLICE MISCONDUCT STATUTE. University of Pennsylvania Law Review, 150(5), 1585. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
This article focuses on how police misconduct has affected the African american community and how the African american community responds to this misconduct. This article also shows the affects the laws put in place to protect the disabled and African americans civil rights.
Editorial Article:
The Daily Record, Initials. (2011, May 19). Editorial: the cost of police misconduct. Retrieved from http://thedailyrecord.com/2011/05/19/editorial-the-cost-of-police-misconduct/
This editorial shows the cost of police misconduct for the city it is committed in. The editorial shows numerical data that shows that police misconduct takes major funds from the taxes for the city.
Book:
Eaton, W.D. (n.d.). Liberal betrayal of america and the tea party firestorm [page 7]. Retrieved from http://www.free-ebooks.net/ebook/Liberal-Betrayal-of- America-and-the-Tea-Party-Firestorm/htm
In this book the author tries to capture the police brutality to students in California. These students were mishandled and arrested after trying to protest a university.
Websites:
Crime and Misconduct Commission, Initials. (2007-2011). What is misconduct?. Retrieved from http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=10760
This article outlines what misconduct is and lays the foundation for people to be aware of what police misconduct is. This can be important when looking into how police commit text book misconduct to minorities.