File this under "justice", and then file it away...

From an ethical perspective, isn't the poor training of so many police, as well as the long periods of boredom and sudden periods of stress, a big problem? Thousands of men and women, dealing with highly complex and sometimes dangerous situations have to become acclimated to and make sense of quite a lot of violence. Sometimes the "they are all victims" perspective is glib and evasive. But here, does anyone not get hurt?

Nearly 98% of emergency room physicians report that they believe some patients were victims of suspected excessive force by police, a national survey concludes. Yet most of the suspected incidents went unreported because no laws require physicians to alert authorities.

The survey of 315 physicians, contained in the Emergency Medicine Journal's January issue and based on 2002 data, is believed to be the first doctors' account of suspected police brutality, says H. Range Hutson, the lead author and assistant professor of emergency medicine at Harvard.

The responses were based on interactions with patients who were brought in by police or who said officers caused their injuries. Ninety-five percent of the doctors reported injuries caused by fists and feet. Hutson says the survey and analysis of findings were in the works for years.

National police groups challenged the survey, saying it would be hard for physicians to know if injuries resulted from excessive force if they were not present during the encounters.

Unlike cases of suspected domestic violence, elderly abuse and child abuse, which doctors must report to authorities, physicians are not required to notify anyone of suspected excessive force by police, Hutson says.

The report says the findings suggest national emergency medicine groups and police should develop guidelines for "this complex issue."

Criminal justice analysts say the survey represents an important new source of information.

"Excessive force is a huge issue," says Geoff Alpert, a criminologist at the University of South Carolina.

"This is another angle on excessive force that hasn't been looked at."

Hutson says the survey does not necessarily mean abuse is rampant. (see CrimeProf Blog, Jan 8, 2009)

There are real victims here, criminals or not. One thing that I particularly respect about many Buddhist organizations is the commitment to prison outreach. For instance, the movie Dhamma Brothers, about significant emotional changes in a very hard to reach cohort. Or the River and Mountains Order prison sangha. Prison populations are uniquely traumatized, with a huge over-representation of long-standing psychiatric and emotional problems. Many of these men and women grow up having been victims, then are victimized during arrest, and victimized in prison.

Meanwhile, beatdowns by police are common. Police officers need to see themselves as more than just agents of control. Many do, of course. But our justice system is completely crazy and hurts everyone involved. What about a police sangha? Mindful Policing. That is a whole 'nother subject.