Police brutality refers to violent or abusive acts inflicted by police officers against civilians. Acts of police brutality often involve the use of physical force, but may also include verbal abuse, including threats, intimidation and sexual harassment.
References
Fast Facts
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Incidents of police brutality occur worldwide
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In 2002, 26,556 complaints of police brutality were filed with United States law enforcement agencies that oversaw approximately 60% of police officers nationwideU.S. Department of Justice: Citizen Complaints about Police Use of Force
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The Rodney King incident in 1991, in which King was videotaped being beaten by four police officers sparked riots in Los Angeles after the involved officers were exonerated of charges
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After the Rodney King incident, a study found that 10% of officers were involved in 33.2% of police brutality cases in Los AngelesACLU: Fighting Police Abuse: A community Action Manual
