"Excessive Force Close to Home"

Why do police use sometimes use excessive force and is there really any justification? I think most would concur that police must only exert physical force when absolutely necessary. However, that isn't always the case.

Case in point - a recent CFL football game in Calgary. According to a recent article in the Regina Leader Post, Calgary police used excessive force in ejecting three Saskatoon fans from the game. Apparently, the fans initiated a disturbance by "standing up and cheering really loud." As a result, one of the victims claims officers "grabbed my shoulders and threw me down several aisles before cuffing me and hauling me out of the stadium." However, the fans claimed to have been sober and simply acting in a normal way for a football game. Ironically, Calgary police spokesperson Kevin Brookwell "denied that officers used excessive force," but did admit that two of the Saskatoon fans were hit by police in the ordeal.

My Critique
In some cases, emotion and ultimately frustration can influence police conduct. We are all human, but this is absolutely unacceptable. Police cannot be given the rights or power to use excessive force at will. The badge is not a ticket to
lawlessness, it is simply a sign that we the government are trusting and empowering individuals to ethically protect and serve. Furthermore, it is up to our policy makers to not only shape, but attempt to define acceptable uses of police force in certain situations. Yes, I'm sure these fans were rowdy, loud and likely obnoxious, but does that justify being hit by authority. I think not. Democratic governments will only erode corruption such as this if they decentralize the authority to grant authority. Confused? In other words, let society be more involved in recruitment, selection and training of our police officers.

Advocacy of the Devil
Although ethical police conduct is an ongoing issue, we as democratic citizens need to be slower to not only blame police, but to confide in the media. First, the police screening and training programs are designed to shape police officers into soldiers of the law. These soldiers are taught to in many situations to use their best judgement. In other words, there are simply too many situations to define in a handbook. Moreover, we need to trust in our soldiers by looking at these situations on a case by case basis without the media biases.