The Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict defines police brutality as the use of excessive or unnecessary force by police against the public. Excessive force refers to any conduct or force beyond what is reasonably necessary to control a situation. It is a common misnomer that people believe that some police officers use excessive force in most cases. What is more concerning is that most of the time people believe that this excessive force is usually focused on African American men, women and children. This misnomer is typically found in urban settings where the population consists primarily of African Americans. The composition of the population makes the common belief seem truer than it might otherwise appear. Americans know that some police officers are guilty of police brutality. Unfortunately, this is simply the reality. The real question, however, is: do police tend to focus on one particular group, or do external factors just make them appear that way? Do officers sworn to protect the public actually want to use excessive force against some specific group other than criminals? Or is it just imagination, creating a vision of police brutality on a specific group due to circumstances beyond the control of the police? Fitzgerald, S (2007) “Police brutality”. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press In the book “Police Brutality” by S. Fitzgerald, police brutality is discussed from both opposing points of view. Police have made great improvements in reducing crime and the use of deadly force, but not without a cost. Over time there has been demonstrated a decrease in the use of lethal force by police and a reduction in crime in the community. However, unfortunately, police misconduct is still a problem. The fact that there are 30 fewer people in the middle of the card... it's no surprise that minorities appear to be victims of abuse more than Caucasians. As the first source of information suggests, there is a larger minority population in those areas than in other areas where citizen behavior is better due to the elimination of crime and criminal opportunities. Works Cited Beasley, M. (2007, July 5). Arrests and charges. New York Amsterdam News. pp. 3-28.Chevigny, P. “Police Brutality.” Encyclopedia of violence, peace and conflict. Vol.2 (2008:1612–1621) Fitzgerald, S (2007) “Police brutality”. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven PressHendrix, N. (2013). Experience criminal justice. 1221 Avenue of Americas, New York: McGraw-Hill. Jefferis, E., Butcher, F., & Hanley, D. (2011). Measuring perceptions of police use of force. Police Practice and Research, 12(1), 81-96. doi 10.1080/15614263.2010.497656