Police Misconduct

Police Misconduct

Introduction

Police corruption is a complex phenomenon, which does not readily submit to simple analysis. It is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement officers. Since its beginnings, may aspects of policing have changed; however, one aspect that has remained relatively unchanged is the existence of corruption. An examination of a local newspaper or any police-related publication on any given day will have an article about a police officer that got busted committing some kind of corrupt act. Police corruption has increased dramatically with the illegal cocaine trade, with officers acting alone or in-groups to steal money from dealers or distribute cocaine themselves.

Types

There are two types of corruption that most police malfeasances fall under: grass-eating and meat-eating. Defined by the Knapp Commission in the early 1970s, grass-eating is misconduct that occasionally occurs in normal every day scope of police work. (Schmalleger, 2005). Meat-eating is when police officers actively seek out illicit ways to make money, usually through bribes, threats, or intimidation (Schmalleger, 2005).

Cause

There are numerous reasons why police misconduct and police corruption aren't easily defined, but probably the most important one is that not everyone has the same moral standards and a lot of people would define that which is ethical differently. Many justify their behavior by telling themselves that as long as no one else is getting hurt by their actions and as long as no one else finds out about their behavior then what they are doing is okay. Many others still justify their behavior by telling themselves that everyone else only looks out for himself or herself and that they are going to do the same even if it means having to break a few laws and hurt people along the way.

There are several theories as to why police misconduct and corruption occur. One theory centers on the police working personality. According to Schmalleger (2005) police officers share certain characteristics that are part of the police working personality. Insecurity, secrecy, hostility, cynicism, and being individualistic are a few of the characteristics common to most police officers that might cause some officers to commit corrupt acts. These few officers might believe that they are owed something because they are the police and therefore will take what is offered to them and even seek out ways to obtain money illegally.

        The rotten barrel, rotten apple, and rotten group theories all have been used to try and explain police misconduct and corruption. The rotten barrel theory suggests that unethical and illegal behaviors have permeated police departments from the street cops right up to the top administrative officials (Byers, 2000). This theory can't be entirely correct because there are “good” cops who uphold very high moral standards in almost every police department. The rotten apple theory postulates that unethical and criminal behavior is isolated to a few corrupt individuals throughout any given police department (Byers, 2000). Police administrators like this explanation of corrupt behavior because it doesn't tarnish the ...