The Seattle Police Department: A Case Study

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In 2011, there was an investigation of the Seattle Police Department (SPD) completed by the US Department of Justice (DOJ) in reference to the use of excessive force. The DOJ found that in 20% of the cases in which excessive force was utilized by law enforcement. This was an alarming rate considering that 20% of the cases meant that more than 250 of the cases involved excessive force during a 7-month period (Atherley & Hickman, 2014). This investigation gave a minor view of the utilization of excessive force. The use of excessive force has also been linked to the gender of the law enforcement official.
Research over the years has proven that diversity in law enforcement greatly enhanced policing. Research further showed that male officers