How To Reduce Police Corruption

The majority of peace officers are committed to the profession they chose. They view the career as a calling, a dedication to perform a public service to their community. Being a police officer requires one to continually strive for perfection, but there is no such thing as a perfect cop. What makes a good cop turn bad? Many factors can attribute to police corruption, but the question that should be asked is if it can be stopped. Although police agencies have progressed greatly from its beginning, police corruption is the black mark that will forever leave a stain of embarrassment within an organization.

Communities place their trust and safety within the hands of police officers to maintain order and protect the public. Law enforcement officers are charged with having a high level of integrity in order to accomplish the preservation of the public. Dr. Stephen Vicchio, a professor of philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, states that integrity is “the sum of the virtues required to bring about the general goals of protections and service to the public.” A police officer who possesses the traits of trust, perseverance, respect, courage, and honesty can be viewed as an officer with morals and values and less susceptible to police corruption.

What is police corruption? Overall police corruption is an officer’s personal gain through the misrepresentation of police power. Police corruption comes in many forms. It can be as insignificant as accepting a free cup of coffee from a coffee shop, accepting bribes in lieu of investigation or arrest, ticket fixing, and greed. Cases of police corruption are cited frequently across the United States. Corruption is nothing new, but why does it continue to go on within law enfo...

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Being a police officer requires high level of ethics and standards. Corruption within an agency can affect a community, state, and even a nation. Corruption may seem inevitable but using proper screening, extensive and continuous training and holding officers responsible can deter officers from becoming corrupt.

Works Cited

Vicchio, Stephen. “Ethics and Police Integrity.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. July 1997: 8-12. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013

Kramer, M. “How Cops Go Bad.” Time. December 15, 1997: 81. EBSCOhost. Web. 10 Nov 2013

Delatore, J.E. “Character and Cops.” American Enterprise Institute of Public Policy Research. 1989: 65. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013

Rich, Martin. “An Analytical Look into Police Ethics.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol.80. Issue 5. May 2011. 11-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013