Police Corruption In Law Enforcement

Police misconduct and deviance is a primary concern for many law enforcement agencies throughout the world; however, this misconduct has increasingly been broadcast and sensationalized by the American mass media. Even though this is not a new phenomenon, it has increasing been scrutinized due to the public’s reactions to law enforcement behavior as it pertains to police integrity, corruption, and unethical behavior. Because I have selected law enforcement for my chosen career, I would like to know what causes honorable police professionals to implement these unethical behaviors. The police administration and the public’s reactions to certain unethical actions by the police are either kept privately within the law enforcement agency, or blown

Police are supposed to possess a moral code that is righteous in nature and maintains only good intentions. They are not supposed to take small gifts from the populace as it increases the chances that small forms of corruption will take root and bloom into something that’s beyond their control. Leadership within the policing environment plays a crucial role in keeping the subordinates on the straight and narrow as they should lead by example (Martin 2017). However, the officers, themselves, must truly represent the ideals that the agency believes in to keep corruption at a minimum. Martin established how letting one’s guard down to corrupting influences can turn a good cop into a bad one after a prolonged period of

The officers answered in such a way that they contradicted themselves when it came to abuse of power. They tended to say that few officers partook in such conduct and that it wasn’t uncommon for officers to turn a blind eye to any misconduct that did occur. The officers thought that the education and training they received was sufficient for keeping any unwanted actions at bay. And finally, the officers believed that switching from a militarized policing style to one that is more community based has lowered the chances of committing such acts; although, this has yet to be confirmed by any statistical backing. The officers are, in fact, more likely to commit another deviant act as a direct result of the sanctions imposed (Weisburd, Greenspan, Hamilton, Williams, and Bryant 2000). This selection shows the perspective of the officers, rather than that of just the public and societal critics in general; consequently, the research is less biased in design while still necessitating the need for policy