POLICE BRUTALITY harms its individual victims and the community at large. It damages the image of police and of the criminal justice system and disrupts law and order. It destroys trust between police and people in the community and alienates members of the groups who feel they are singled out for abusive behavior rather than protection by the police.

The harms to society are difficult to measure. One can calculate property damage caused in a riot, but one cannot calculate the human frustration and despair that led to the riot. One can count the number of complaints filed against police officers, but one cannot count the number of times police officers have perjured themselves to cover up police brutality. Although measuring the harm of police brutality is elusive, its effects can easily be viewed through some of the fundamental damage it causes...