HuffPo | Few aspects of policing attract more scrutiny than an officer's use
of force. And as people around the nation continue to voice concerns
about the sometimes contentious relationship between citizens and law
enforcement, it's become clear that police and the policed often have
drastically different interpretations of the same incidents.
In some cases, this disagreement may stem from an honest difference
of opinion. Police violence -- and violence in general -- typically
looks repulsive, whether you're watching it unfold in person or on
video. It regularly leads to questions about whether a situation truly
called for the level of force used, and whether anyone's civil rights
were violated in the process. But when the question of what's
"excessive" is left to an internal review process that tends to give
officers a great deal of leeway, what might appear improper to the
average citizen is often found to be justified in the eyes of the law.
[This story includes videos that contain explicit language
and graphic depictions of violence. They may be upsetting for some
readers.]
A number of high-profile cases over the past few years suggest that
something even more disturbing can happen when police are given the
responsibility of self-reporting violence. The instances below offer
clear evidence of cops -- and in some cases, their superiors --
attempting to sanitize, mischaracterize or simply lie about the use of
force. They raise disquieting questions about what might have happened
if videos of the incidents had never surfaced -- and how many similar
incidents never become known to the public.
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