In many cases, police find the need to use force in order to effect an arrest, particularly if the subject is zealously resisting attempts of the police. However, in many cases, police have overstepped their bounds and crossed over into the realm of brutality. The case of Rodney King is the quintessential example of this. Granted, King was a criminal, who was also under the influence of illegal substances at the time and vehemently resisting arrest, it still was not reasonable for several LAPD officers to beat him repeatedly. while there may be times when force is indeed necessary to bring a given suspect to justice, it is important that police only use that amount of force which is necessary to subdue an unruly suspect, and not cross the line into brutality.
There are also incidents of police officers violating the Fourth Amendment by effecting unreasonable searches of property. Many people know from experience (or at least from watching "Cops" or "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol") that police will often ask people pulled over even for minor traffic violations permission to search their vehicle. Most people consent to these searches because they feel they are obligated to do so. Those that know better and decline to give consent are then threatened with arrest if they do not reconsider their decision.
The simple fact of the matter is that there are only two ways a police officer can legally search one's vehicle without a search warrant. One is if he or she has probable cause to do so, meaning that an illegal sunstance or object is viewed in plain sight. For instance if a police officer pulls you over and sees an open container of alcohol on the front passenger seats, he or she may then search your vehicle. The only other way a police officer may search your vehicle is if you give them your consent to do so. Basically, if an officer asks for your consent to search your vehicle, it means that he or she does not have probable cause to do so without your consent. In other words, if you refuse consent under these circumstances, the officer in question is supposed to leave the matter at that.
It is important, above all else, for police to remember that their role is not only to apprehend criminals but also to protect the innocent. While it may be true that the vast majority of police don't abuse their authority, it is also true that such abuses do occur. Police should be concentrating more on bringing the overtly dangerous criminals to justice rather than harassing innocent citizens in a "shot-gun blast" attempt to filter out the guilty from the innocent. MR
-- Geoff Brown