Introduction Police executives have always had different issues within the police department. Most police executives try to find a quick fix in order to solve the issue of police misconduct. Police misconduct is defined as inappropriate action taken by police officers in relation with their official duties (Police Misconduct Law & Legal Definition, n.d.). In order to solve this issue, one must acknowledge their different challenges, overcome the “code of silence”, and find out the role of organizational culture.
Challenges Facing Police Executives There are many challenges facing the police executives in the 21st century, such as civil disorder and criminal prosecution of officers. In recent years there have been quite a few civil disorders. A civil disorder is a situation in which some citizens behave in a way that threatens the wellbeing of other citizens or the peace of a community (Cambridge Dictionaries, 2016). In the past seven years there has been a quite a few civil disorders in the United States, such as the 2016 Donald Trump Chicago rally protest, the 2014 protest in Ferguson, Missouri, and the protests in New York, New York and Berkeley California after a grand jury did not indict a police officer in the death of Eric Garner. Due to the causes of some of these protests, the public have a distrust and lack of confidence in the law and the legal system (Tyler, 2013). As a police executive, one would have to make decisions in hopes not only to not cause
Police has the power to put anyone in Prison especially if they are not committing anything seriously. One of the reason is because Colored citizens don’t have higher class, meaning on poverty, no wealthy jobs etc. meaning that they would do crime. War on drugs is a significant factor in the High incarceration rates for African-American.
In dealing largely with disorderly elements of the society, some people working in law enforcement may gradually develop an attitude or sense of authority over society, particularly under traditional reaction-based policing models; in some cases the police believe that they are above the law. In other cases, police corruption and misconduct may be explained by individuals and individual faults- behavioral, psychological, background factors, and so on.
This essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions.
Police officers may or may not actively support noble-cause corruption. Sometimes when officers become aware of corrupt or illegal forms of misconduct, they are inclined to “turn a blind eye or look the other way.” It puts their fellow officers in a very difficult position, most officers tend to think that if they turn away and ignore it and do not acknowledge what is going on that they are not part of the misconduct or illegal activity. Most
In the mid to late 1900’s the code of silence was introduce to the police officers, The police officers live and work under a code of silence called the blue code of silence in the United States. The blue code
After reading all the material regarding Jeffery Bell, Darryl Forrest and Dustin Sillings all 3 whom were members of the Kansas City Police special unit known as (SCORE) Selective, Crime, Occurrence, Reduction Enforcement unit. I came up with several unethical behaviors throughout the course of the year from January 2010 to January 2011. One, all 3 officers violated the victims constitutional rights. Rights that were taken away were the freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures and not to have their property taken without due process under the law. (The Criminal Indictment: United States of America v. Jeffrey M. Bell, Darryl M. Forrest, and Dustin Sillings) Each officer took it upon themselves to steal various items including money from
Police corruption and misconduct come apparent in many different forms. A basic definition for police corruption is, when an officer gets involved in offenses where the officer uses his or her position, by act or omission, to obtain improper financial benefit. The main reason for such corruption is typically for personal gain, such as bribery. Police abuse of authority occurs in three different general areas such as physical abuse, psychological abuse, and legal abuse. Physical abuse is such abuse where one uses excessive force or physical harassment. The psychological abuse occurs through disrespect, harassment, ridicule, excessive stops, or intimidation. Finally, legal abuse is abuse that occurs during unlawful search and seizure
In order for a Police agency to prevent and deter Police misconduct, there must be a definition to what actions and behaviors that the term will encompass. The term ‘police corruption’ has been used to describe many activities: bribery; violence and brutality; fabrication and destruction of evidence; racism; favoritism or nepotism. Many different scholars differ in their own examples of the definition. Before attempting to the question of whether a precise definition is possible, it is worth examining the range of activities that might be included within a broad discussion of corruption. In (Bayley and Perito, 2011), it is defined as police corruption is a contested phrase with narrow and broad meanings. Narrowly
We hear about police misconduct case and wonder, Why don’t they do anything to stop this? Many say that we should keep the police officers’ perspective in mind. Others say that these actions are due to racism or post 9/11 paranoia. Whatever the excuse may be for these cases, there should be no need for violence anywhere. Police brutality videos go viral and reveal to the world that it actually happens and that it may happen to you too. This pervades people with fear and anger because their civil right are being violated. Riots are the outcome making the streets unsafe and chaotic. Statistics show percentage of the movements taken upon these criminal acts performed by police officers. We can put a stop to this and we will put a
Police officers are generally well-respected in American society. They should be, since officers protect the public from drunk drivers, gunmen and other threats to the commonwealth. However, in light of uncovered events involving the misconduct of police officers, these events call into question the ability of police officers to successfully protect and serve the American people. However, in 2010, 6,613 law enforcement officers were reported for involvement in misconduct which varied from excessive force, sexual misconduct et cetera (Packman). Having 6,613 reported cases of police misconduct in America is ridiculous, especially since it is hard validating the claims against officers and it is difficult to punish officers because of this lack of evidence. While the purpose of police officers in society is to protect the commonwealth of the people, the amount of police misconduct in the United States of America involving excessive force and sexual misconduct is detrimental to the credibility of all police officers. This in turn causes rifts and distrust among the American people concerning officers. Police misconduct can be reduced in American society by requiring police officers to wear cameras while on duty, having a clear definition on what excessive force is and defining how much force is legal for an officer to utilize, and better training geared to improve overall conduct with citizens, especially mentally ill citizens.
Fair and equal treatment is a widely accepted aspiration of most Americans, but to this day is still a work in progress. It's naive to say police misconduct isn't an issue, even more so to say that young African American men aren't unreasonably marginalized and targeted. This is something we need to take action towards and make a change if we expect anything about this to change. Police are not the enemy, the majority of police are well trained and RESPECTFUL OF THE PEOPLE, but that is not to make light of very serious problems regarding police brutality, false statements, racial profiling, manslaughter, sexual assault, and much much more among the minority of officers. They are meant to prevent crime, protect and serve, and enforce the law.
Law enforcement agencies involvement in inappropriate police activities include any illegal actions taken by the respective officers within the jurisdiction of their official responsibilities. Misconduct often leads to injustice and segregation. Types of misconduct range from unwarranted seizure of property, false imprisonment, corruption cases, tampering with evidence and witnesses, racial profiling, unwarranted searches, bribing legislators to maintain laws that grant officers excessive power, sexual misconduct, influence on alcohol while on duty, usage of police ID for access to concerts among other minor cases. On March 3, 1991, members of the Los Angeles Police Department following a police chase in Los Angeles beat up a young man and the outcome was a major incidence on the brutality of law enforcement officers’.
In March of this year, police officers in the U.S. killed more people than police officers in the U.K. did in the entire 20th century.(Shortal) Lately it seems a new scandal of police brutality or corruption in the news is a daily occurrence, which is in and of itself alarming--as is warranted whenever people in power begin to infringe on the U.S. public 's constitutional rights. Although this alarming trend continues to grow, the perpetrators of these crimes are able to continue their work unpunished by the legal system. The same legal system regularly shows no mercy to a regular civilian under the same circumstances. This problem may not seem intimidating to you, as you may not worry about any officers committing crimes against you. Ultimately, that outlook is naïve, as it takes only one corrupt police officer deciding that they do not like you, to turn a normal day into a drama with you ending up in a jail cell. Of course, there are good cops on every police force, but one cannot ignore the fact that brutal beatings seem to happen every day and the resulting punishment for such brutality is woefully lacking: police simply get placed on paid leave and are most often brought back to offend again. The brutality that caused the leave initially is likely to be never addressed again.
Some argue that corrupt police officers are simply the product of a corrupt culture of the agency they work for. These officers are socially introduced to a number of informal rules when they begin employment. This process and these rules serve two main purposes. First, this process is designed to minimize the chances of external or internal controls being mobilized to address the behaviors and, secondly, to keep corrupt activities at a level that is acceptable and likely undetectable. The rule most often referred to in this connection, is the “Code of Silence.” Officers are socialized into not cooperating with investigations regarding fellow officers. Whether or not the officer participates in corrupt activities for financial gain, an officer’s adherence to the “Code of Silence” places them squarely amongst the corrupt of the profession (Price, 1972).
These types of misconduct arise throughout police jobs that include routine procedures such as traffic stops, ticket writing, directing traffic, and discouraging potential threats to those in their community. What often go unnoticed, though, are the undercover works and the corruptions that go on within a department. The four terms associated with these conflicting values are deviance, which is behavior inconsistent with the norms, values, or ethics, corruption, which is forbidden acts involving misuse of office for gain, misconduct, which is the violation of departmental procedures, and favoritism which is unfair “breaks” to friends or relatives.