Introduction
Police corruption has long been a systemic issue for policing agencies. During the “reform era” policing underwent a transitional shift that changed and restructured it into a more bureaucratic and paramilitary policing system; this was done with the intent to combat the epidemic that was police corruption (Chappell & Lanza-Kaduce, 2010). During this era, local politicians greatly influenced police behaviours and this resulted in various types of corruption, such as patronage and police interference in elections (Kelling & Moore, 1988). Organizational changes were also implemented; these encouraged a flow of instructions downward and information upward (Kelling & Moore, 1988).
Community policing was then introduced as a way to mend the damage done to community police relations, which had been exacerbated by continued corruption (Chappell & Lanza-Kaduce, 2010). However, community policing has yet to implemented properly and so, has failed to address the issue of police corruption in modern society. To fully realize the tenets of community policing would be to minimize corruption because it would: realize the deficiencies of training of officers, dismantle the organizational structure of police leadership that fosters corruption, and it would favor an independent model of police oversight.
Police Corruption Defined
Police Corruption is defined as “any illegal activity or misconduct involving the use of occupational power for personal, group or organization gain” (Loree, 2006, p. 6). It has been noted that collecting data on police corruption can be difficult for a number of reasons, “problems of definition; organizational reluctance to collect data or even to admit that the problem exists beyond a few “bad apples”; pr...
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...on Policing, 4, 1-15. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from https://ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/114213.pdf
Loree, D. J. (2006). Corruption in policing causes and consequences: A review of the literature. 1-40. Ottawa: Research and Evaluation, Community, Contract and Aboriginal Policing Services Directorate, Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://dspace.africaportal.org/jspui/bitstream/123456789/22286/1/Corruption%20in%20Policing%20Causes%20and%20Consequences%20A%20Review%20of%20the%20Literature
Scaramella, G. L., & Cox, S. M. (2011). Police Misconduct. Introduction to Policing. 247-285 Thousand Oaks, California: SAGE Publications.
Silvestri, M. (2007). “Doing” Police Leadership: Enter the “New Smart Macho”. Policing and Society, 17, 38-58. Retrieved June 10, 2014, from http://www.tandfonline.com.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/doi/pdf/10.1080/10439460601124130
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.
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.
Not only does sub-culture play a big role in police corruption, but also so does
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.
In an article by Wolfe & Piquero (2011), research was focused on the relationship between organizational justice and police corruption. Previous research suggested that organizations perceived by employees as unjust or unfair would have higher instances of employee deviance. Police officers were thought to be more inclined to violate policy when management
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
Police corruption is a difficult issue cities have to deal with and one of the oldest problems in the police force. Corruption can be defined as the mistreatment of public power for personal benefit or private and the use of excessive force either emotional or physical. In this essay I will explain in detail federal indictments of Los Angeles Country Sheriff officers use of mistreatment of jail inmates and visitors. Another topic I will explain is the transfer of Los Angeles Country Sheriff hired officers with questionable background. Finally I will end by analyzing the hiring of new Sheriff deputies under the “Friends of the Sheriff” program. There are several ways police departments could take to reduce police corruption. The three areas I think should change are the training officers further in how to diminish abuse, improving personal character of officers, and incentives program.
Martin, Rich. "Police Corruption: An Analytical Look into Police Ethics." The FBI Enforcement Bulletin May 2011: 11+. Academic OneFile. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
Walker, S., & Katz, C. (2012). Police in America: An Introduction (8th Edition ed.). New York:
Community oriented policing has been around for over 30 years, and promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes, and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem solving tactics. The way community policing works is it requires the police and citizens to work together to increase safety for the public. Each community policing program is different depending on the needs of the community. There have been five consistent key elements of an effective community oriented policing program: Adopting community service as the overarching philosophy of the organization, making an institutional commitment to community policing that is internalized throughout the command structure, emphasizing geographically decentralized models of policing that stress services tailored to the needs of individual communities rather than a one-size-fits-all approach for the entire jurisdiction, empowering citizens to act in partnership with the police on issues of crime and more broadly defined social problems, for example, quality-of-life issues, and using problem-oriented or problem-solving approaches involving police personnel working with community members. Community oriented policing has improved the public’s perception of the police in a huge way. Community policing builds more relationships with the
Wuestewald, T. (2013). Police Chief Magazine. The Changing Face of Police Leadership. Retrieved from http://www.policechiefmagazine.org/magazine/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_arch&article_id=859&issue_id=42006
It is often said that power brings corruption, but in reality it is an individual’s lack of character, self-discipline, and integrity that leads to corruption. Law enforcement can bring many temptations on the job, and maintaining an up most level of personal integrity can often times be very difficult. The very nature of the job surrounds officers with all of the bad things that society, produces. There can be an endless amount of training and rules put into place to try and deter officers from committing unethical acts, but in the end it really just comes down to the specific individual and their willingness to do the right thing.
In our times, the police have become the criminals. Some police are using their power to do bad things, and society has come to fear police. The law enforcement system needs change. The courts have failed the police, and the police have turn to other means of justice. We must stop the corruption in the police force.
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.
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...