reform, in respect to the disproportionate targeting of minorities, excessive force,

以及多起的警方攻擊無武裝的嫌犯事件，

and multiple police shootings of unarmed suspects. In 2015 Human Rights Watch said that the US

美國國內及國外團體都呼籲警方需要重大改革。對於美國五年來使用無數聯合國的建議

had quote “largely failed” to address numerous UN recommendations to improve its

企圖改善司法系統，人權觀察組織在2015年的評價是「相當大的失敗」

judicial system over the previous five years. So, why and how has police violence gotten

美國警方的暴力濫權為什麼又怎麼會

so bad in the United States?

變得如此嚴重呢?

Well, one of the largest reasons for the rampant increase in aggressive police tactics is the

警方侵略性的執法方針之所以會如此猖獗，其中最大的原因是因為

blurring of lines between law enforcement and the military. Since the 1970s when Richard

執法部門與軍隊的界線太過模糊。從1970年代開始，Richard Nixon

Nixon introduced the “War on Drugs”, overall arrests have dramatically gone up. Using the

開啟了反毒戰爭，整體的逮捕率節節提高。利用

Drug War as a catalyst, Ronald Reagan passed a federal law allowing police to cooperate

反毒戰爭作為催化劑，Ronald Reagan 通過了一項容許警方跟軍方合作

with the military, and use their military equipment. This militarization ramped up by

並使用軍方裝備的聯邦法。警察軍事化的速度在21世紀

the 21st century, and following the September 11th terror attacks, both the Department of

大幅提升，而911恐怖攻擊的發生，使得

Homeland Security and the Department of Defense contributed funding to local police around

國家安全局及國防部也開始向美國警方提供資金援助。

the country. During the war on terror, more and more police received surplus military

在反恐戰爭期間，越來越多警察擁有額外的軍事裝備，

equipment, with some holding weapons such as grenade launchers and armored vehicles

像是榴彈發射器等手持式武器以及配有機槍的武裝車輛。

with mounted guns.

Moreover, multiple reports, including one from the Department of Justice, note that

更有盛者，有份司法部流出的報告以及其他多份的報告都指出，

police are better trained in self-defense than they are in community building, and the

警方在自我防衛上受到的訓練，比社區警政訓練及無暴力的調解訓練還要多。

use of nonviolent solutions. For much of the country, there simply is not enough adequate

對大多數鄉村來說，他們在降低犯罪這件事上，是不足以勝任的。

training focused on de-escalation.

In fact, a 1981 court case, Warren v. District of Columbia, found that while police are held

實際上，從1981年沃倫對華盛頓哥倫比亞特區案可以發現到，警方對於大眾的

responsible to the public at large, they are were not actually required to assist individuals,

保護責任是廣義的，並不存在對具體某一公民的特殊責任，

and can’t be sued negligence as a result. A similar ruling by the Supreme Court in 2005

而且也不能以瀆職將其提告。最高法院在2005年也做出一個相似的判決，

dismissed a claim against police for not acting to keep several individuals out of harm. The

駁回了一項關於警察須對個別公民提供保護的上訴。

court found that the lack of action did not violate the victim’s constitutional rights.

法院發現警方的不作為並沒有侵犯到憲法給予受害者的權利。

This lack of accountability to the public, coupled with a lack of internal accountability

這種不須對民眾負責，也不用對內部負責的態度

have led to widespread abuses in power. Not only are the standards for police brutality

使得武力濫用變得普遍。不只是對警察的暴力濫權擁有雙重標準，

different across the board, but even when police brutality is clear, it is almost never

就算證據確鑿，警察也幾乎不會被起訴，

prosecuted. One study of New Jersey brutality complaints in 2014 found that only one percent

在2014年，有份研究是關於控訴紐澤西警察暴力，研究指出只有1%的警察

was ever investigated, and the national average of complaints investigated by internal units

曾經被內部調查過，而全國因為被控訴暴力進而被調查的警察在2006年時

was less than ten percent in 2006.

也少於10%。

In an effort to curb such abuses, a 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act allowed

為了減少暴力濫權，1994年通過了暴力犯罪控制及執行條例，

law enforcement agencies to be sued in civil court. But this ultimately did little to address

這條法令使得執法部門能夠被民事法庭起訴。但是這無法解決太多的問題

the problem, since it is most often the local tax-funded government and not the police department

因為負責民事賠償的大部分是擁有稅收的當地政府，而不是警方。

which ends up paying civil settlements.

In a nutshell, the past few decades of police reform have seen law enforcement agents equipped

總而言之，過去數十年的警察改革，使執法部門可以

with military surplus while not only untrained in the use of that equipment, but also untrained

裝備軍隊剩餘的器具，並且，不只是沒受過武裝訓練，更沒受過

in non-violent tactics. Moreover, abuses go unreported, uninvestigated, and unpunished,

非暴力的策略訓練。此外，暴力濫用不被報導，不被調查，也不會被處罰，

and punitive measures only hurt the community, not the police. While there are plenty of

並且處罰的方式只會傷害到大眾，而非警方。實際上遵守法律

law-abiding, committed police officers, as a whole their presence s more of an

且盡心盡責的警官有很多，但是以整體角度來看，

occupying military force than law enforcement.

警察更像軍隊，而非執法部門。