Use of Force
Police brutality is the use of excessive and unnecessary force on the part of a police officer when he is interacting with a civilian, resulting in a violation of the civilian’s civil rights. The use of such tools as pepper spray, batons, and tasers, as well as hitting, choking, throwing a non-combatant civilian to the ground, and sexual abuse are all examples of police brutality that is physical in nature. While it may sound like police brutality is strictly physical, this is not the case. Examples of police brutality that are not physical in nature include false arrests, verbal abuse, and racial profiling.