Police Corruption Must be Stopped

Police Corruption

The mission statement of The Los Angeles Police Department is as follows: "It is the mission of The Los Angeles Police Department to safeguard the lives and property of the people we serve, to reduce the incidence and fear of crime, and to enhance public safety while working with the diverse communities to improve their quality of life. Our mandate is to do so with honor and integrity, while at all times conducting ourselves with the highest ethical standards to maintain public confidence (The Mission Statement of the LAPD).” Although this should be the type of code police officers should follow, it is not the case for some. Police corruption is a case that occurs on a global scale. Police corruption violates the trust of citizens, and is a trend that must be stopped.

British policing is argued to have been spotted in 1066, which was before the Norman Conquest of England. The first Europeans discovered new land, and needed to find a way to protect themselves from people whom could invade their land. In this sense, policing was a job for all able bodied men and young boys (History of Policing). In 1829, the first police force was officially established in London through the Metropolitan Police Act of 1829. Rules in this act were that police were responsible only for the detection and prevention of crime and recruits were to be carefully selected and trained by the Commissioners (Bloy). Even during this time period, police corruption was a problem. In the United States during the 1800s, government was run by political parties. People were guaranteed a government position if they gave great support to the party in charge. These types of corruption lead to different activities, such as accepting bribes,...

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...ing, lack of appropriate leaders within departments, and lack of integrity are a few reasons why police corruption are occurring. Police brutality can be seen as a sub division of police corruption. The famous Rodney King case shined a light on police brutality, and sparked the L.A. riots. Ways to prevent police corruption and police brutality are the same. Insisting on a higher level of excellence, training the leaders to lead and involving the public are resolutions to the ongoing battle against police corruption and abuse. The job of a police officer is a noble one, and should be given a great amount of respect. Most police officers do their job to the best of their abilities; however, it's the actions of a select few that alter some people's perceptions of a police officer. Police corruption violates the rights of citizens, and is a trend that must be stopped.