Law enforcement officers are required to follow ethical laws and standards as provided by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. However, in some instances, police officers experience ethical dilemmas and issues in the course of their duties, especially in relation to the different situations they undergo. The recent case of the arrest and subsequent death of George Floyd displays unethical police behaviors.
The arrest and death of George Floyd, a black man, happened in Minneapolis, Minnesota on Monday, May 26, 2020 (Ciechalski, Fichtel, & Abdelkader, 2020). The suspect died after the police officers handcuffed him and one of them pinned him to the ground. Bystanders captured the incidence on video, which became viral on social media. In the video, the law enforcement officer pins down Floyd and presses his neck against the ground. The suspect is heard begging that he cannot breathe, but the officer does not consider the plea (Ciechalski, Fichtel, & Abdelkader, 2020). The suspect turns silent, becomes motionless, and is later pronounced dead at arrival at the hospital. The way the law enforcement officers handled the arrest has attracted public uproar that is not only unethical, but also unlawful to treat a person that way.
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A variety of unethical police behaviors are possible in this case, which leads to the violation of some of the existing criminal laws and the constitutional rights of the defendants. One of the unethical police behavior indicated in this case is the use of unnecessary force. The officer had already handcuffed the suspect when he pinned him down. He continues and places his knee against the suspect’s neck even as the latter pleads that he cannot breathe (Ciechalski, Fichtel, & Abdelkader, 2020). It is a clear indication that the force used in this arrest was exaggerated and more than would be expected in a normal arrest case. Furthermore, it is clear from the footage that the suspect was in compliance with the arrest orders and the officer involved used excess force to subdue the suspect.
All law enforcement officers are given the power and authority to apply the necessary force to ensure that the law is upheld. However, in some instances the use of force might be unjustified, especially if excess and unnecessary force is applied. The use of excess force in Floyd’s case is thus, a criminal violation of the law that gives the police officer the authority to strictly use necessary force. The violation of the law is also caused by the misjudgment of the level of force that should be used in dealing with the suspect, which in this con text leads to the death of the suspect. The act of causing the death of the suspect itself is a violation of the criminal laws against such acts. Furthermore, the way the officer in this context deals with the case is a violation of the Constitutional rights of the defendant, especially in terms of the right of the suspect to a human arrest (Barker, 2011). The officer uses excess force even as the suspect keeps pleading with them to reduce the impact. The result of the excessive e use of force against the suspect is the violation of the defendant’s Constitutional right to life. The death of the suspect leads to their loss of the right to life because of the unjustified actions by the police officers concerned. In addition, the right of the defendant to a trial is violated because the officer’s actions leads to their death and the ultimate elimination of the opportunity of the suspect to face trial in a court of law. As such, the use of unnecessary force during this arrest leads to the violation of criminal laws by causing death, as well as the abuse of the rights of the suspect to a fair trial and life.
Another unethical police behavior identified in this case is profiling. It is vital for police officers to use the powers and authorities bestowed upon them by the law and their judgment to determine and apply the best course of action in the performance of their duties. On the contrary, today’s society is faced with unproved assumptions and many types of stereotypes that lead to unfair ethical and racial profiling. There is a notion that black Americans are highly likely to be treated by the police with prejudice and are subjected to more violence than their white counterparts are, especially during arrests. George Floyd’s case ignites the profiling issue with more people and advocate groups proposing that police brutality and the use of excessive force are evident in this context. In case there was profiling in this context, then it is a criminal offence that the law enforcement officers involved did not adhere to the requirement of equal treatment of all citizens before the law (Robertson & Chaney, 2019). The profiling led to the instance where the officers judged the suspect wrongly leading them to acting less rationally and with less reason than how they would have acted if they were facing a white suspect. As a result, there is violation of the Constitutional right of the suspects to the freedom from discrimination. The treatment accorded to Floyd was no different to the discriminative use of excessive force on black suspects. As such, it leads to the violation of the right of the suspect to presumption of innocence. The police officers involved take action to the point that it leads to the death of the suspect, ultimately giving him no chance to prove his innocence. As the unethical arrest and death of George Floyd attracts more discussion, policy makers, advocate groups, and citizens continue to propose a wide variety of strategies to address such police behaviors, which will ultimately lead to an ethical and more effective police force.
References
Barker, T. (2011). Police Ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement . Charles C Thomas Publisher.
Ciechalski, S., Fichtel, C., & Abdelkader, R. (2020). New video appears to show George Floyd on the ground with three officers. NBC News . Retrieved from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-video-appears-show-george-floyd-ground-three-officers-n1217476
Robertson, R., & Chaney, C. (2019). Police Use of Excessive Force against African Americans: Historical Antecedents and Community Perceptions. Rowman & Littlefield.
