During Arrrest

• Many cases of police brutality occur during the time of arrest. Recently, the Deptford Township, New Jersey, police department reached a $200,000 settlement with Joseph Rao of Philadelphia after a 2006 altercation with police. According to Rao, he was pulled over for a traffic violation, which accelerated into verbal confrontation. Rao says that the officers handcuffed him and then kicked, punched, and choked him. The entire thing was caught on dashboard cameras. (See The Gloucester County Times)
  
  

During Questioning

• Police brutality can happen not just during arrest, but also during questioning. According to the Times of India, 22-year-old Umakant of Kamalpur, India, allegedly died after being tortured while in custody. Family members say that the youth had serious injuries to his head and his back due to brutality by Narwal police, even though the police say that he took rat poison and killed himself. (See The Times of India)
  
  

Police Riots

• Police riots can occur whenever there is a crowd and a large number of police officers. Also in India, two young men named Mukesh and Vinod died after trying to escape the brutal forced used by police who were raiding the village. One villager says that the policemen threw stones, and they've also been accused of firing rounds into the air to scare villagers. Mukesh and Vinod died after colliding with a train while trying to escape, and their families and locals who witnessed the incident have since demanded compensation for their deaths. (See The Times of India) This kind of police riot has happened throughout history and is reminiscent of war and race riots in the United States in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.
  
  

Types

• Amnesty International reports police brutality by country, according to the Los Angeles Times, and beating isn't the only way victims are hurt. Other forms of brutality by police include shocking, burns from cigarettes, sexual assaults and being suspended by wrists and ankles. Police brutality can also be psychological in some cases, but most cases involve physical harm.
  
  

Police Brutality and Human Rights

• In some countries, police brutality is such a problem that it has gotten attention from international human rights activists and organizations. In China, for example, police torture victims for being critical of the Chinese government or for practicing other religions, according to the Los Angeles Times. Tibetans, Christians and other minorities are common targets.