olice officers beat Rodney King as eleven other officers stood by watching. Rodney King was in a high-speed car chase with the officers, when his car was finally stopped, he hesitated to get out of his car. When he did, he was said to jump at the officers. He was hit by two darts from a stun gun, which didn't seem to work. Rodney King still refused to obey the officers and lie flat on the ground. But, in less than two minutes, he was hit with 56 baton blows and kicked six times. He suffered from eleven skull fractures, brain damage, broken bones, knocked out teeth and kidney damage. Also, emotional and physical trauma. Not in all cases are the victims of police brutality innocent, obviously, as you can see in Rodney Kings case. But no matter how rude or uncoopitive a suspect is being, this extreme force from officers should not be used. Another case comes from the other side. This one is about a man named Mumia Abu-Jamal. In 1982, he was protecting himself and his brother from the brutal force of a police officer. Mumia Abu-Jamal shot a police officer to protect himself. He was sentenced to the death penalty. When a police officer murders a man to protect himself, he walks free because it's all part of his job. Police have been questioned about why there is so much of this happening. Some say they are just doing their job. Isn't their job to serve and protect? They have also said that it's because they are under so much pressure. Another excuse given is that being a police officer is the most dangerous job in America, and they are just in fear for their own lives. But according to the New York commissioner of police, "the average police officer is never going to draw his gun during his entire career. A police officer is at half risk of death and injury on the job than is a farmer, truck driver or logger and considerably less than a heavy-construction worker, roofer or coal miner. An officer is no more at risk for fatal injury on the job...
