The law protects citizens from police brutality¹. If you have been subjected to improper² or excessive force by the police or some other state or federal official， you may be able to make a claim and recover damages， including attorney's fees and costs. Both state and federal laws safeguard your rights under the Fourth， Eighth and Fourteenth Amendments³ to the United States Constitution. Police brutality may occur if a law enforcement officer uses or attempts to use greater force than necessary to make the arrest， search， stop and frisk， or halt. Also， the threat or use of force against a law enforcement officer is not justified⁴ unless the accused person reasonably believes that force is immediately necessary to protect against the officer's use or attempted use of unnecessary force. Even if the officer's actions are unlawful， force is not a defense⁵ unless the accused person was acting⁶ in self-defense， that is， acting under a reasonable belief that the force was immediately necessary to protect against death or serious bodily injury. Police brutality is a serious matter. If you believe that you have been the victim of police brutality you may wish to contact an attorney as soon as possible. Time is of the essence in many of these cases. In some instances， these claims may be barred if they are not brought within a short amount of time after the date of the occurrence. For more information， talk with an attorney.

　　翻译：

　　法律保护市民不受警察的暴力执法。如果你受到警察、州或联邦官员不适当或过格的暴力，你可以提起诉求要求赔偿损失（此损失包括要求对方支付律师费和其他费用），根据美国宪法修正案第四章、第八章、第十四章的规定，州和联邦法都将保护你的权利。在进行逮捕、调查、滞留、搜身、要求（被盘问者或被调查者）站住等执行公务中，如果执法人员使用了或意图使用超出必要范围的权力，就会有暴力执法现象发生。除非被控方有理由相信使用暴力（还击）是为了保护自己免受执法者不当的暴力行为，否则，暴力对抗执法人员会被认定有罪。即使执法人员的行为是违法的，暴力抵抗并不能作为反击的借口，除非被控方所作行为属于自卫，即有理由相信使用暴力抵抗是为了保护自己受到死亡威胁或严重的身体伤害。警察暴力执法属于性质严重的一种行为，如果你认为自己是此行为的受害者，应当尽快和律师联系。在许多此类案件中，时间往往是至关重要的因素。在一些案例中，很多的诉求因未在规定的期限内提出而被拒绝受理。需要了解详细的信息可与律师咨询。

　　单词解释：

　　1、 brutality n. 残忍， 野蛮的行为

　　2、 excessive excess+ -ive形容词后缀 adj

　　过度的；极端的

　　The food was bad and the bill was excessive in this restaurant. "这家餐馆饭菜很糟，但价钱又很贵。"

　　3、 enforcement n. 执行， 强制

　　4、 frisk vi

　　（1）欢跃；蹦跳

　　The puppy frisked its tail when it saw its master. 小狗一看到主人就轻摇起尾巴。

　　（2）搜身

　　5、halt

　　n. 停止， 暂停， 中断

　　vt. 使停止， 使立定

　　vi. 立定， 停止， 踌躇， 有缺点

　　6、 justify⁷ v. 证明……是正当的

　　7、 essence 源自拉丁语的esse在，也就是指事物的“实体”、“实质”、“本质”n

　　（1）精髓；要素

　　the essence of morality道德的精髓

　　The essence of his religious teaching is love for all men. 他宣扬的宗教教义要旨是爱天下人。

　　（2）精；素

　　essence of roses玫瑰精

　　Do you use coffee essence in making cakes？ 你做蛋糕时用不用咖啡精？

　　8、 bar n. 条， 棒（常用作栅栏，扣栓物）， 横木， 酒吧间， 栅， 障碍物

　　vt. 禁止， 阻挡， 妨碍， 把门关住， 除……之外， （Bar）律师业

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