It’s really outrageous and scary how frequently videos of police killing, shooting, or physically harming people have been popping up more and more throughout the year. The police are meant to protect us and bring peace, not to do the complete opposite.

Police Brutality on the Rise

According to the article “Police Killings Rise Slightly” in The New York Times <http://nyti.ms/1Q3aFD9/>, since 2009, the F.B.I.’s account of justifiable homicides by police officers, ranged from 397 to 426 deaths annually, before jumping to 461 in 2013, the latest reporting year.

In an interview with CNN <http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/20/us/police-brutality-video-social-media-attitudes/>, David Klinger, an associate criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. said, the public is “missing a huge part of the picture when it comes to deadly force.” Cops tend to shoot, to kill — and gunfire is the predominant means by which police kill suspects — so more illuminating would be knowing how many times police opened fire, period, he said.

According to the students in Miami Senior High, police get accused of brutality for various reasons. Joselyn Useda, a freshman, said, “I think they get accused because police believe that they’re superior from everyone else and use that to their advantage by hurting or harming people without a reason.”

Freshman Ivania Somarriba added, “I believe they get accused because people capture them or record them in the act of actually being too aggressive over small things.”

Freshman Yazmery Maria, however, sees things differently. “I believe it is due to many misinterpretations. Nowadays, all you hear is white cops abusing colored people; however, we don’t see how it could be vise-versa.”

Stopping Police Brutality!

Lately, many people have gone protesting or trying to go to court to do something about the unbelievable rate of increasing police brutality. According to the article “Police need better training and community relations” in The Washington Times <http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jan/13/police-brutality-solutions-are-training-community-/>, law enforcement and elected officials told a presidential task force that police need better training to improve community relations and defuse the sorts of deadly, racially-charged confrontations that have divided the nation for months.

Students from Miami High have their own opinions on how to stop police brutality. Freshman Dominique Teal recommends not taking people into the police academy who have no experience with others or have no degree. “They need to get people who have experience with others outside their domain, aren’t cruel, and are useful and admirable to people, and not rude,” she said.

Christine Monastisky, a sophomore, said, “Before having any type of officer enter the academy, I would do a type of test to determine if they are biased or if they’re more of a neutral type person.”

John Gonzales, a senior, suggests making sure each police officer carries a camera on the vest they wear so you know who is at fault or who’s guilty because “they’re always changing up their stories.”

Why is stopping Police Brutality important?

Solving this problem is critical. “It is very important because right now our nation is breaking apart and the police are the ones that are supposed to keep us safe and bring peace,” said Carlos Moreno, a senior.

Isabella Mendieta, a junior, said, “We shouldn’t be treating people badly. If you were a police officer, your job is to help the community not destroy it.”

Freshman Joselyn Useda said, “Stopping police brutality is important because not only are people getting hurt, but it’s beginning to bring even more chaos than this world already has. I also feel as if sometimes police don’t even let the ‘victim’ get a chance to speak. It’s just full on action.”