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Police brutality in the United States
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Civil rights movement A National Guardsman in camouflage uniform and helmet stands holding a rifle in front of a burned, partially destroyed building in Los Angeles. A large crowd of demonstrators, many wearing masks, hold protest signs including several reading Black Lives Matter during a rally in Boston.

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Civil rights movement Walter Gadsden, a 15-year-old civil rights demonstrator, being attacked by police dogs, May 3, 1963, Birmingham, Alabama.

Police brutality in the United States

Written by
Leonard Moore
Professor of History, University of Texas at Austin. Author of Black Rage in New Orleans: Police Brutality and African American Activism from World War II to Hurricane Katrina and others. 
Leonard Moore
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Britannica Editors
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....
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Police brutality in the United States, the unwarranted or excessive and often illegal use of force against civilians by U.S. police officers. Forms of police brutality have ranged from assault and battery (e.g., beatings) to mayhem, torture, and murder. Some broader definitions of police brutality also encompass harassment (including false arrest), intimidation, and verbal abuse, among other forms of mistreatment. See also list of race riots and massacres in the United States. Americans of all...

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