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Liz Thornell
Mrs. Harrell
English II
May 15, 2015

Research question: Does police brutality affect citizens, the public and local police officers?
Thesis Statement: Police brutality affects citizens, the public and local police officers negatively
because it leads to accusations of racism, cases of violence, rioting, and other potentially harmful
acts.
Revised Thesis Statement: Police brutality has a negative effect on citizens and police officers
alike because it causes social unrest within a community and can lead to violence and rioting.

Annotated Bibliography
Auerbach, Michael P. Point: Police Brutality Is Over-Sensationalized. Points Of View: Police
Brutality (2015): 2.Points of View Reference Center. Web. 4 May 2015.
Auerbach argues about police brutality not being a widespread issue and says that police
brutality has been over exposed in media. He states that people have been led to assume that
police brutality is a regular occurrence and happens frequently. The author often reminds the
audience that, due to the media coverage of police brutality, people believe that it is a common
occurrence and could happen to them as well. Police have faced physical threats and multiple
complaints while brutality used on a suspect has always been investigated thoroughly. This

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article is a positive source for my research paper because it shows the point of view of someone
who believes that police brutality is not as large of a problem that the media makes it seem like.

DiLascio, Tracey M. Counterpoint: Accusations Of Police Brutality Should Be Addressed In A

Prompt & Thorough Manner. Points Of View: Police Brutality (2015): 3. Points of View
Reference Center. Web. 4 May 2015.
DiLascio presents an argument on how severe accusations of police brutality actually are.
He states that an officers behavior should always be investigated to protect citizens and the
officers credibility. DiLascio also addresses the issue of public safety of both citizens and the
officers. While he states that police are an important part of society, he also argues that many of
them, when given a substantial amount of power, will abuse it. He states that police are more
likely to abuse their power due to the fact that others who have been brutal before them have
gotten away with it. This article would be a beneficial source because it demonstrates the fact
that police are often not punished justly for their actions.

Walter, Andrew. Police Brutality: An Overview. Points Of View: Police Brutality (2015). 1.
Points of View Reference Center. Web. 4 May 2015.
Walter describes the history of police brutality and how it came to light. He discusses
how awareness has increased and what precautions have been taken in order to help the
prevention and appropriate actions taken as a result of previous police brutality. He argues that
police brutality has an extremely negative effect on communities because it can lead to riots,
violence, and injustice. Walter also states that the judicial branch of many cities have failed to
punish offending police officers justly, thus causing a substantial amount of unrest in many areas.

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This article would be a good source for research because it shows the history and effect of police
brutality on many communities.