Personal problems like separation, divorce, or even a loss in job status. These changes undermine confidence and make it more difficult to deal with fear, animosity, and emotionally charged patrol situations. The last issue I want to address is that of police brutality being directed towards minority groups. Since the mid-1960s incidents of police abuse have sparked civil unrest and a distrust between racial minorities and the police. Police brutality has sparked riots in many urban areas such as Watts, Newark, and Detroit where minority citizens were just fed up with the actions of the police.
Race continues to play a central role in police brutality in the United States.
Police have subjected minorities to apparently discriminatory treatment and have physically abused minorities while using racial epithets. In jurisdictions across the country, the overwhelming number of victims of police brutality, unjustified shootings, and deaths in custody are members of racial or ethnical minorities. The Rodney King incident occurred when Rodney was pulled over by LAPD on a traffic violation. The incident was taped and televised nationally, sparking controversy over police misconduct and minorities. This incident refocused attention that the LAPD mistreated minorities more than whites.