Essay On Police Subculture

778 Words4 Pages

1. Police subculture, personality, and stress play a huge role in police officers everyday lives. Putting their safety at constant risk in order to protect and serve can cause high levels of stress. However, stress doesn’t always come from the danger posing in the streets. It can also come within the police department subculture. Officers are expected to conduct themselves and have certain characteristics. They are held to a high standard where they must conduct themselves with honor, loyalty, and secrecy. Loyalty to the department and their fellow officers, can lead to officers covering for one another, also known as “The Blue Wall Of Silence”. The police departments have adopted these characteristic and culture to normalcy. In the film “The Seven Five” an officer by the name of Michael Dowd, was a corrupted officer who part took on drug deals, embezzlement and money laundering. Dowd partner Chicky also part took in Dowd corruption. He remained silent after witnessing his partner corrupted activities. The loyalty to one’s partner was the downfall of Chicky. The police subculture almost perpetuates officers to remain silent, when they witness other officers engage in miss …show more content…

Social Economic hardship was a key reason why a lot of officer’s part took in corruption. Officers like Chicky were once a good officer, but the economic hardship of his life led him down a path of corruption. To live struggle free, to not worry about moorage and car payments was essential. The fact officers are given a tremendous amount of authority. Officers like Dowd and Chicky were able to use that power at their disposal. Inherent conflict is a part of officer everyday lives; it’s a matter of personal choice whether to participate in them. Besides social economic, there are more reasons why police corruption occurs. It depends on the officer, the neighborhood they patrol in, police nature, and finally police subculture. These are the many reasons why police participate in