In present time, part of our society is dependent on the law enforcement, which are supposed to keep our community and environment safe and out of trouble. Police officers are part of a branch in law enforcement that helps contribute in the enforcement of certain restrictions and rules to the society in transforming and keeping it a healthy environment. Law officials have been in existence for the majority of the time, but have now been bribed into letting particular situations slide by. It has converted into controversial issue and common situation, where now it is possible to be seen anywhere. What ever happened to those police officers that followed the rules that they help enforce? Police corruption has been a persistent problem that will continue to affect the citizens in each community. Corruption can be defined as a dishonest or illegal behavior, which unfortunately, has become a greater issue that is common around the entire world including the United States today. In this research paper you will gain knowledge over the positive relationship between corruption in the public departments throughout the nation. In addition, you will familiarize yourself with situations that officials have allowed themselves to be apart of, and the negative results that will be presented in the different perspectives and outcomes around the world.
Literature Review
In Mexico, the political area had made a dramatic change that had resulted in the participation and patterns of political corruption. It has been stated that democracy is a positive contributor and possible solution to the corruption that had been taken place.(Luminita, 2011). In addition, Mexico had also had a positively high rate of official misconduct due to the fact...
... middle of paper ...
... OF MISCONDUCT/MISFEASANCE IN A PUBLIC OFFICE. Denning Law Journal, 2465-88.
IONESCU, L. (2011). MEXICO'S PERVASIVE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION. Economics, Management & Financial Markets, 6(2), 182-187.
Prenzler, T., Beckley, A., & Bronitt, S. (2013). Police gifts and benefits scandals: addressing deficits in policy, leadership and enforcement. International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 15(4), 294-304. doi:10.1350/ijps.2013.15.4.319
Sabet, D. M. (2013). Corruption or Insecurity? Understanding Dissatisfaction with Mexico's Police. Latin American Politics & Society, 55(1), 22-45. doi:10.1111/j.1548-2456.2012.00182.x
Seksan, K., & Lee, J. (2013). Cross-nation comparison of the intolerance to police misconduct: findings from a Thai police cadet survey. International Journal Of Police Science & Management, 15(3), 237-245. doi:10.1350/ijps.2013.15.3.314
For the 71 years that the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) was in power, Mexico saw great political, social and economic upheaval. This can be seen in the evolution of the PRI party, whose reign over Mexican society came at the expense of true democracy. “A party designed for power, the PRI's mechanisms for success involved a combination of repressive measures. The party professed no specific ideology, enabling it to adapt to changing social, economic and political forces over time. It attached itself virtually all aspects of civil society, and in this way, it become the political extension and tool of the government.” In 2000, however, the PRI’s loss of its monopoly on political power and institutional corruption gave rise to inter-cartel violence that was created in the political void left after the PAN won the national presidential election. These conditions gave rise to the Zetas: a new type of cartel that changed the operational structure of previous drug cartels. The Zetas operate in a new militant structure associated with a higher brand of violence, which has led it to branch out beyond a traditional drug smuggling enterprise common under the PRI government. Simply put, the electoral defeat of the PRI in 2000 was supposed to usher in a more democratic era in Mexican politics. Instead, the PRI party’s defeat created a state of chaos that gave rise to inter-cartel violence and the birth of the Zetas cartel.
Serve and Protect are common words associated with police officers, however some law enforcement officers taint the honor and integrity of the job. Police Corruption is a serious problem affecting nearly every city across the country and world. Curbing police corruption is a tall order; however, improving the recruitment and training process and internal controls can bring this issue to an abrupt stop.
A simple greedy thought can hurt many people. “The illusion of simplicity crumbles when one considers the many contexts in which this “effects” scenario can arise.(Erbsen, 2015 pg.389 )” They can not only hurt themselves and the state but it can also hurt the reputation of the police as well. “Honest officers are silenced by their fear of ``ratting ' ' on another cop no matter how grave the crime. Supervisors often fear the impact of a corruption scandal on their careers more than corruption itself. No institution wants its reputation tainted. But police departments have uniquely powerful incentives to avoid uncovering corruption (Armao et al, 1994).” The people need the police more than they think and if they think that they are run by corrupt officials then they will lose all faith in their police force and the police force will end up hurting their city thus end up hurting their state. “Corruption and misconduct undermine police efforts in tackling crime and protecting communities; they limit the effectiveness of police actions and have a detrimental effect on public confidence in the police (Wright, 2010 pg.339) If the police can be honest with the people and with themselves then the corruption could be dealt with even if it means the police’s reputation is tarnished. “Every police force faces the challenge of
An article written jointly by Mark Perez and Anthony H Normore, published in the Journal of California Law Enforcement discusses the growing concern that the public’s trust in law enforcement is at an all-time low due to the ethical choices that some of our leadership have been making and how we can improve the publics opinion of law enforcement and some of their unethical decisions. The purpose of their article is to share their thoughts on police leadership and ethic, they feel by having just one powerful confident police leader in a department it can have a positive impact on that police department by reducing the rate of misconduct. They also feel by having a police force with strong integrity
While reviewing the various instances of corruption by Law enforcement officers, it was shocking to see the increasing instances of repetitive and flagrant violations of abuse and corruption by law enforcement. Although it is conceivable that in some instances, such as the excessive use of force, the officer's perception of events at that instance could be skewed and could, therefore, result in an outcome less favorable than intended, however, there are some instances in which the actions of the officer(s) are intentional.
For numerous years, corruption within the police department has been a national problem. The corruption is not only limited to America, it reaches parts of Asia and Europe. Police officers are investigated regarding this issue, with good judgement. Corruption and misconduct in the police department are evident in various embodiment.
Bibliography Why Good Cops Go Bad. Newsweek, p.18. Carter, David L. (1986). Deviance & Police. Ohio: Anderson Publishing Co. Castaneda, Ruben (1993, Jan. 18). Bearing the Badge of Mistrust. The Washington Post, p.11. Dantzer, Mark L. (1995). Understanding Today's Police. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc. James, George (1993, Mar. 29). Confessions of Corruption. The New York Times, P.8, James, George (1993, Nov. 17). Officials Say Police Corruption is Hard To Stop. The New York times, p.3. Sherman, Lawrence W(1978). Commission Findings. New York Post, P. 28 Walker, J.T. (1992). The police in America, p.243-263, chp. 10, Walker, Samuel (1999).
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.
One may ask themselves, if law enforcement officers are working to protect the public, why would they commit corruption like they do? As it is described above, corruption is a big part in the law enforcement sector of society. The entire concept is quite complex although it may seem self explanatory to many people. Learning the many types of corruption and misconduct is only the beginning, then, to understand why the officers commit the conduct for which they do. With all this, it becomes apparent to the certain measures that need to be taken to rid society and police departments of the conduct that is constantly present.
Ethics play a huge role in a police officers line of work. Since police are given such a high degree of trust and authority, it can unfortunately be very easy for an officer to fall into some unethical behavior. This can range from just minor acts that are frowned upon, to actual downright illegal activity. Even though there are a countless number of acts and behaviors that can be considered unethical, in the following paper I will focus primarily on those incidents involving police officers who steal for their own personal gain, and discuss my position on the issue.
Law Library. (n.d.). Retrieved July 12, 2011, from Law Library - American Law and Legal Information: Police Corruption and Misconduct - History, Contemporary Problems, Further Readings
Police corruption is a nationwide problem that has been going on for many years. Not only is corruption a problem on our own U.S. soil, but police practices of corruption go as far east as Europe and Asia. Many studies, polls and examinations were taken to find out how exactly what the general publics’ opinions of the police are. Officers receive a lot of scrutiny over this issue, but for good reason.
Law enforcement officers historically were paid poorly for the job they were tasked with. As a result, some officers took it upon themselves to engage in corrupt and unjust behaviors. One
Vicchio, Stephen. “Ethics and Police Integrity.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. July 1997: 8-12. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013
Montesh, M. (n.d.). Conceptualizing Corruption: Forms, Causes, Types and Consequences. Retrieved May 4, 2014, from