Organizational Deviance As It Pertains To The Tragic And Fatal 2014 Shooting Of Michael Brown

This week’s discussion focuses on organizational deviance as it pertains to the tragic and fatal 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Darren Wilson, a white police officer shot and killed Michael Brown Jr, an African American teenager. This was the image portrayed throughout the country in the aftermath. Brown was allegedly shot by Wilson because Wilson felt fear for his life. Was Wilson the problem? Or was his mentality representative of a much larger problem? This terrible situation might have been avoided had the Ferguson Police Department, and law enforcement organizations, be introspective regarding the training and culture instilled in their officers. Organizational deviance refers to intentional behaviors that violate organizational norms and threaten the organization’s interest, which stems from organizational injustice (Quan & Zhang, 2022).

To this end, it would also be a fair assumption that Wilson’s experience in the Ferguson Police Department taught him to react more extreme than was needed in most situations. This is not meant to Monday morning quarterback Wilson’s decision in the moment. But according to Department of Justice investigation of the Ferguson Police Department (2015), the Ferguson Police Department was more focused on revenue than public safety. This culture trickles down to every police officer. In a sense, this became a highly systemic problem. The Ferguson Police Department was harming not only the citizens it served but also law enforcement agencies everywhere. The norms associated with public safety must be focused on the prevention of crime and the health, safety, and welfare of the public. It is unknown for how long the Ferguson Police Department ingrained the deviant behavior into its officers but regardless, the damage was