Police are ALWAYS Wrong...

Absolutely correct, I admit that if I was a policeman I would be doing the same thing. I still can't blame my neighbor though for not liking it when he kept getting stopped and questioned.

 

So you think someone deserve to be maced (or shoot, or else...) just because he was uncooperative? Considering that what can be classified as uncooperative or not is totally in the eye of the beholder, you're pretty much giving carte blanche for the police officer to act like little tyrant.

Youtube has been great in showing hundreds and hundreds of cases where some one was tased or even shot after some minor complain about bully behavior from police officers.

This goes from the case where the police officer tried to arrest a guy taking a family member to an hospital to the case here in San Francisco where a police officer shot in the back, with no motive what so ever, a suspect that was already immobilized on the ground.

And that's just because we are talking about american citizens - don't even get me started in the treatment that immigrants have in the hands of homeland security officers here.

The fact is that police brutality in the USA is pretty much in the same level of police brutality in developing countries (like mine). That's undeniable and it's something that got me by surprise since I've been living here.

The difference is that american police officers are more adamant in defending their brutality, even creating ridiculous concepts like "suicide by cop".

 

Really this is your mentality ?
Of course there are a few bad seeds in the bunch. But trust me when I say no, cops from here are nothing like what ever country you are from. Atleast here they have to take a MMPI before entering and countless other tests to enter a police jurisdiction. As for macing someone yes someone deserves it if they do not stop and respond to the command the officer is giving. If an officer is telling you to get down on the ground why would you not? Do you have a problem following an order? Are you better then anyone else? He will let you up when he is done searching you :>) There is to much entitlement floating around.
Its ridiculous to bring up youtube because many that I have seen are out of context, videos shot after the altercation began. When a town here in AMERICA is created we create a charter, a police force and give them a right to hire police officers to protect us from the bad element of the world. We in turn are giving these police officers a sense of trust to do their jobs. We just dont like it when criminal mentality interferes and we get pulled over or feel harassed. I guarantee that for everyone person that is posting here something negative of a police officer they have one bad experience for something they did wrong GUARANF-ING T it , whether a ticket or severe, this is where these posts are biased.

 

Well, my analysis doesn't come from a textbook - I've lived in both countries (and in East and West coast of the USA), so I can talk a little bit about similarities and differences.

I never said the american police is corrupt - about this I don't have any doubt that must be one of the least corrupt police forces in the world. The officers are well paid, can retire quicker than the rest of population, have a good deal of respect and lots of checks and balances to control corruption.

Unfortunately this does not happen in regards of Police violence. I stand by what I said - my experience shows me that Police here is as violent as the brazilian police. More violent in some aspects. The thousands of Youtube videos with officers having ridiculous powertrips agree with me, as well the infamous cases like the one that I cited before (the killing of Oscar Grant here in San Francisco for no reason whatsoever).

The difference is that while the brazilian police try to deny and pretend this stuff doesn't happen (typical brazilian behavior), the american police officers are more and more taking an absurd position that they are right in acting like that. The often use of the term "suicide by cop" (only used in American media and context, by the way) reflects this.

Wanna get in jail easily here in the USA? Try to record a officer with your cellphone camera while he stops you or some friend (even if you're cooperating totally with him).

The fact is that your Constitution is explicitly about not letting abuses by police officers. They have to respect the Fourth Amendment - so worries me to see the kind of defense of police violence from officers and citizens like you.

To be fair with the police officers, this is not something that happens only with them. it seems this kind of violence as a result of overreacting to "potential dangers" pretty much sums the USA in the Bush-era (specially on foreign policy and immigration policy).

I'm pretty sure this doesn't happen around the whole country, because the USA it's so big, the same way that brazilian police are not bad in every part of Brazil ('cos Brazil is big too, bigger than continental USA).

P.S. By the way, 99% of american books about Brazil are crap - they normally describe Rio de Janeiro and the Northeast - two very unique places in the country - as they were the whole country.

 

We have what is called a 21 foot rule for a man with a knife. If he is coming towards you with a knife and if he refuses to drop it after you've ordered him to do so, there is no need to try and continue talking him out of it; you may go ahead and shoot (and kill) him. On TV, officers always shoot the knife out of the suspect's hand or shoot to wound, but this is not reflective of real-life because that kind of accuracy (while shooting) is a fallacy, especially when adrenalin is flowing and your hands (and body) may be violently shaking from it.

You are 100% correct in that there are you-tubes that show American police brutality, but it would be inappropriate to assume that those you-tubes are reflective of the other 99% of the cops, as you have done. You assume that the vast majority of American police officers are willing to beat American citizens without legal justification. On the whole, police beatings are rare, but the constant exposure of a few you-tubes playing on the internet 24/7/365 makes uneducated people assume that it's an accurate reflection of most officers and that it's a common occurrence that is happening right now, even as we discuss this.

Do Americans batter other Americans? Yes. Are those battery suspects reflective of the other 99% of good Americans? No. Context is everything.