Robert Barton Case Study Essay

1069 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Pros and cons of police subculture

Case Study: Officer Robert Barton (org- 343)
Robert Barton was a high school graduate, and he came from a small town before he joined the police department in a big city. His few months at the city proved difficult at first. Slowly but surely he learned to assimilate the new subculture that demanded camaraderie among his fellow officers and formed bonds of loyalty and secrecy. Soon they all mutually supported one another. Officer Barton’s goals were to preserve the peace and to protect people and society from criminals. He valued individual rights and the due process of law. Then, he quickly learned to accept the norms and values of his peers. A few years later, he was reassigned to join the Gang Task Force. The group shared values, attitudes and beliefs related to their work. They became successful at controlling gang activities however conducting them illegally was common. At times, they did illegal searches and made arrest even without probable cause. Officer Barton tried to adhere to his personal values but needed to be recognized, be supported and be approved by the group. He felt compelled to …show more content…

They identify with the group and get support by strengthening their relationships with each other. Also, cohesiveness increases an individual and group performance (More, Vito & Walsh, 2012). In cohesive groups that value productivity, it is typical to expect the highest levels of performance. On the other hand, cohesiveness can become pathological as well. When there is a conflict between the objectives and the needs of its members, cohesiveness has a negative effect on their performance. In addition, cohesiveness of a group discourages individuality, critical thinking, and innovation (More, Vito & Walsh, 2012). Any ideas or behavior outside the group is seen as illegal, divisive, and absolutely

Show More
Related

  • Corruption In The Case Of NYPD Narcotics Detective Frank Serpico

    957 Words  | 2 Pages

    We will examine the case of NYPD Narcotics Detective Frank Serpico, who was regarded as a snitch and a rat by fellow officers who were on the take, and complete a what would you do dilemma. Serpico's original intent was not to be a "whistleblower" within the Department, but rather all he wanted to do initially was to be a Police Officer and not accept any bribes, payoffs, or favors as a result of his professional position within the community (Petit, 2011). As a consequence of his testimony before the Knapp Commission in 1971, Serpico was ostracized by his peers as a deviant for being conscientious; ergo, although it cannot be proven, it is believed that he was ultimately set up to be shot during a drug raid in which he was seriously wounded. To this day, Frank Serpico questions why fellow cops never called in a code 10-13 officer down after he took a bullet in the face on Feb. 3, 1971 (McShane, 2012).

    Read More

  • Driving Corruption In The Baltimore Police Department

    818 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the interviews Wood (2015) and Balko (2015), medically retired Police Officer and former Marine, Sargent Michael Wood discusses his time on the Baltimore Police Department and the driving factors to police corruption that is drawn from his experience. Sgt. Wood was a police officer for 11 years and for the first four years he was assigned to a majority black neighborhood. His second assignment was in a majority white neighborhood and during this assignment Sgt. Wood formulated an opinion on the police policies that drove corruption among good men and women (Wood, 2015). Although Sgt. Wood identifies many fascinating issues within the Baltimore Police Department, I will focus attention on his insight into the Baltimore police culture and

    Read More

  • Inclusion or Exclusion in The Crucible

    2355 Words  | 5 Pages

    High cohesiveness is an effective tool in the success and effectiveness of an organization. However, in order for ...

    Read More

  • The Groupthink Hypothesis

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1972, Irving Janis presented a set of hypothesis that he extracted from observing small groups performing problem solving tasks; he collectively referred to these hypotheses as groupthink¹. He defined groupthink as “a quick and easy way to refer to a mode of thinking that people engage in when they are deeply involved in a cohesive in-group, when the members’ striving for unanimity override their motivation to realistically appraise alternative courses of action²” A successful group brings varied ideas, collective knowledge, and focus on the task at hand. The importance of groups is to accomplish tasks that individuals can not do on their own. The Bay of Pigs, Watergate, and the Challenger disaster are all forms of failure within a group. Specifically, you can see the effect of groupthink of Americans before September 11, 2001. The thought of harm to the United States was unfathomable, but only after the attacks did they realize they were not invincible. When a solid, highly cohesive group is only concerned with maintaining agreement, they fail to see their alternatives and any other available options. When a group experiences groupthink, they may feel uninterested about a task, don't feel like they will be successful, and the group members do not challenge ideas. Stress is also a factor in the failure of groupthink. An effective group needs to have clear goals, trust, accountability, support, and training. Some indicators that groupthink may be happening are; making unethical decisions, they think they are never wrong, close-minded about situations, and ignore important information. Many things can be done to prevent groupthink from happening. One way is to make each person in the group a “critical evaluator”. The leader must ...

    Read More

  • Police Corruption in LA Confidential and Training Day

    1403 Words  | 3 Pages

    For years police corruption has been a major problem in American society but where is the line between moral and unethical police corruption, many modern movies address this vary issue. Some films portray how types of police corruption can have a positive influence on society, while others show the dark side of police corruption. Many law enforcement agents join the criminal justice with the basic idea of “justice for all,” however, most of them do not realize that the nice guy doesn’t always win. Even though there are vast amounts of movies which specifically address police corruption we will use three main movies for our argument today, mostly LA Confidential, however, also Training Day.

    Read More

  • The History Of Criminal Justice

    1016 Words  | 3 Pages

    Time may pass and personal morals may change, but one of the strengths of the United States of America is its unwavering dedication to justice. Throughout time, this country’s methods and laws have grown and adapted, but the basis of the law enforcement’s work has remained the same: the safety and interest of the people.

    Read More

  • Police Authority, Police Power and Police Use of Force

    1435 Words  | 3 Pages

    Lyman, Michael D. (2005). The Police an Introduction. Pearson Education, Inc., Upper Saddle River, New Jersey.

    Read More

  • Advantages And Disadvantages Of Team Cohesion

    981 Words  | 2 Pages

    A team's weak cohesion will result in poor performance that may prevent the team from reaching its goals. Individual team members must forget their arrogance and take their roles and responsibilities seriously. Managers, trainers and leaders must make a significant contribution to making the team come together. First of all the leader has to choose the right

    Read More

  • Is Criminal Behaviour Inherited or Learned?

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Hallswort, S. And Young, T. (2004) Getting Real About Gang. Criminal Justice Matters [online]. 55. (1), pp 12-13 [Accessed 10 December 2013]

    Read More

  • Essay On Group Cohesiveness

    1397 Words  | 3 Pages

    Majority of the time, group thinking has falsely been assumed to be similar to group cohesiveness. Cohesiveness defines the ability of the group to work together through challenges, providing alternative avenues with which to progress. According to Holman and Devane (2009) therefore the goal of group cohesiveness is not simply to work together but rather to reach the intended goals of the group. Conflict though frowned upon is also considered to be part of progress. Individuals are encouraged to provide alternative plans and ideas which are directed at ensuring the group meets its goals in the right time frame and with the use of available resources. Therefore, group cohesiveness

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Team Cohesion

    1591 Words  | 4 Pages

    Teams come in many forms, whether it be in sports, in the workplace, or in educational settings, and these teams all must work together towards common goals. How well a team works together determines their success and part of working well together is to be cohesive. Team cohesion is defined as “the degree to which members are motivated to stay in the group (Spink, 2016). According to Yarmey, team cohesion has two meanings; first, it is the level of integration among team members in working towards a common goal, known as task cohesion, and second, the amount of integration that fulfills social-emotional satisfaction, known as social cohesion (2013). There are many videos available on the topic of team cohesion, both educational based and fiction

    Read More

  • Organizational Citizenship Behavior

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    Work groups have a great impact upon the attitude and the conduct of group members. The group with high cohesiveness has more “we” feeling rather than “I” feeling. There is more cooperation and positive work environment when the group has high cohesiveness. The researchers are also trying to explore if this kind of cohesive behavior on groups have any impact upon the citizenship behavior they show. Cartwright (1968) observed that the cohesiveness has a positive impact upon intragroup communication, favorable interpersonal evaluation, and also it influence higher OCB if it matches with the group norms.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Group Ethics

    2886 Words  | 6 Pages

    The strength of a structure is based upon the vigor of its foundation as well as the small details which construct the foundation’s body. Similarly, the effectiveness of a group can only be as effective as the group’s individual framework. For example, if a book group of four people plus its leader is crafted and one member is not a reader, two members would rather watch movies than read, and the final member is ju...

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Group Dynamics

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    When analyzing a group and its development, there are several points to consider. The greater the similarity in member attitudes and values brought to the group, the greater the likelihood of cohesion in the group. Group cohesion will be increased by success in achieving the groups’ goals, low frequency of required external interactions and under conditions of abundant resources.

    Read More

  • Organization Motivation Plan Design

    2534 Words  | 6 Pages

    In building an effective performing team I will primarily focus in the area of the cohesiveness for team building. “The rule of conformity in team dynamics states that the greater the cohesiveness of a team, the greater its conformity” (Forsyth, 2006, pp. 15-16). Therefore, when the performance norms are positive in a highly cohesive work group or team, the resulting conformity will have a lasting positive effect on both team performance and employee satisfaction. Thus resulting in huge benefits the employees and the organization.

    Read More

More about Robert Barton Case Study Essay

Open Document