Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines “slippery slope” as a course of action that seems to lead inevitably to from one action or result to another unintended consequence (Merriem-Webster, 2013). The “slippery slope” can refer to almost every walk of live but here it is being applied to law enforcement and accepting gratuities. Here it is referring to police officers accepting what may seem to be harmless gratuities which may later put the officer in a position where their ethics are called into question. There are several hypotheses that can be applied to analyze police corruption in addition to the slippery slope hypothesis. Three of…
• the existence, or otherwise, of systemic or entrenched corruption within the New South Wales Police Service (the Service);…
There are many views on corruption. Transparency International (TI) has defined it as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain” (Transparency International, 2012). “Corruption is a Western concept and is not applicable to traditional societies, where corruption does not have such as negative meaning. Many traditional societies with a “gift culture” have a different understanding of civil responsibilities and etiquette. The social structure and political traditions of many countries are based on the beneficial exchange of rewards for services rendered, and cannot survive in its absence.”…
While a person would like to think the police treat everyone the same, regardless of their ethnicity or race, police corruption occurs more often within these communities than what may believed. Perhaps, previous notions or ideals of a certain race or ethnic group can be the blame for officer’s perceptions of said group, however, corruption need not be utilized within law enforcement at all; especially in those groups that are the minority. It would seem that however diverse this country becomes, police corruption and ill treatment of minorities still persist.…
The following essay will discuss the three different explanations for police corruption and examples to support them. To start, the Individual cause is justified as the Officers personal background characteristics. For example, it focuses on their personality, ethical and moral issues, leading to cases of officer corruption. The explanation emphasizes that police corruption occurs by placing a certain individual in the force that is already prone to be corrupt. Concluding,police corruption is considered to be the result of some morally defective officers, also known as the “Rotten method theory.” The theory suggests this could be caused by hiring methods,…
Trust is a huge issue police department’s face in today’s society. Society’s faith in policing has been diminishing as the century has passed because of corrupt police officers and brutality scandals. An immense amount of law enforcement administrators are overwhelmed with the task of again bringing a trust worthy structure to police departments. One reason for the corruptness is the extraordinary level of drugs, growing gang members, and guns in the different cities. Agencies are blind to see who they are hiring, some departments continue to hire the wrong type of people then are forced to participate in cover-ups of misconduct in…
Deviancy and corruption within police organizations has influenced public’s negative perceptions and attitudes, as well as negatively impact the social relationship between the two groups. Policing in America, was established to maintain social order by enforcing rules and laws, protecting citizens, and taking appropriate action to ensure safety and justice. Police officers are expected to exercise “power and authority” while preserving moral character, but it is not always the case. Individual morale is closely examined when police recruits are seeking a position with a local, state, or federal law enforcement agency. As mentioned by the author Kappeler, recruits are evaluated based on their ability to adapt to the 'code of practices' used…
First, according to the Upward-Mobility Rule, police officers should not work so hard that they are irreplaceable (Dickson, 1980). If the officers cannot be replaced, they will not be promoted. Second, according to Rutherford’s Rule, the less the officers know, the less work they will have to do. By investigating the community’s concerns, the police department may be opening a can of worms. Third, according to Toomey’s Rule, it is easy to make decisions on matters in which the officers have no responsibility.…
For example, officers are taught by fellow officers how to use the authority given to them to advance the sub-culture of crime. This fact is a matter of debate. The question of crime in police departments is often blamed on unethical officers rather than the truth of the officers who are taught by superiors and veteran officers the means of crime. The bad apples or bad system debate is expressed in Serpico, indicating the confirmation that a bad system needs an outside agency to correct it.…
Stevens, M. (2005). Police deviance and ethics (Masters Thesis, California State University - Fresno, 2005). Retrieved from http://faculty.ncwc.edu/mstevens/205/205lect11.htm…
The problems within police corruption are one that has and always will exist in departments but can be decreased by employing some control methods internally in each department. The first means of control would start upon recruitment with new officers, focusing more on integrity with a thorough background check and improved detailed training where recruits could be weeded out if not able to perform the duties required. No second chances. After hiring, there should be continued training and more random drug screenings to help decrease corruption and abuse of the law. Whereas with strengthening leadership roles within the higher ranking officers providing role models and higher standards required for officers in regards to upholding laws and…
Police Corruption doesn’t occur because of some random reason, it has a definite cause. Police officers would not go through these great lengths to abuse their powers without a probable reasonable cause. One thing that is for sure as far as police corruption is concern is that someone wins and someone loses. The cause of police corruption is ambiguous, and from the looks of it the causes and reasons varies from person to person. In the last two decades, research and commentary regarding the causes and effects of law enforcement corruption have intensified and diversified.…
When the word corruption comes to mind, many individuals think of practical societies or countries without a stable government that handle issues in an unfair way. Even though this may be true to a certain extent, corruption has a broader meaning to it, and, is found in almost everything and everywhere. Johnson (2006) explained that corruption is a widespread social occurrence that exists in any civilization, and thrives in any type of people. He also states that corruption exists in systems that somehow relate to the control of the public. Johnson (2006) uses the example of police departments because they maintain order and, peace by controlling society. He states that a police organization is very similar to other government sections such as, courts of law or tax collection service It is a belief that all these types of organizations tend to have corruption within them for one simple reason; they receive and use the tax payer's money. This then leads to not one person caring about the control of the money that comes in and goes out. In turn, this leads to an unclear understanding of who is in command and what are the responsibilities one needs to keep accomplish (Para. 1). With this may being one of the main causes of corruption in a police organization, it would further lead to "the misuse of authority by a police officer acting officially to fulfill personal needs or wants" (Holloway, para. 3). Dantzker (1995) states that there needs to be three various elements that must be present: "1) misuse of authority, 2) misuse of official capacity, and 3) misuse of person attainment." (Dantzker, 1995). For a corrupt act to occur all three of the elements listed need to be present and occurring simultaneously. With this being said, there are three main theories of corruption that must be taken into account. Reese (2003) explains two of them, the rotten apple theory and the environmental perspective theory. He states that the rotten apple theory involves a few bad apples…
Police corruption has become an international problem. This was initially a common practice during the period when the police institutions were being developed but the effect has been felt by many people, even affecting peacekeeping operations. The police abuse and corruption has become endemic in the U.S making many citizens seek help from other organization. An example of such a case was experienced in the police training program in Afghanistan were the civilians were brutally abused forcing them to seek the assistance of the Taliban group against the government. There are many reports on the police corruption conducted by commissions that are aiming at reducing the corruption of the police and ensuring justice to the civilians.…
Williams, H. (2002). Core Factors of police Corruption Across the World. Washington: President of the Police Foundation.…