Police Chapter 8

Corruption

Acts involving misuse of authority by a police officer in a manner designed to produce personal gain for officer or others

Ethics

Study of what constitutes good or bad conduct

Ways to Enforce Ethics

1. Code of Ethics to edu

2. Oath of office

3. Law enforcement code of ethics by IACP (international association of chief of police)

Knapp Commission

Commission created in 1970 to investigate allegations of widespread, organized corruption in NYPD

Bc of Serpico

Judicial Review

Process by which actions of police in areas like arrests, search + seizure, + custodial interrogations are reviewed by court systems to ensure Constitutionality

Reasons for Police Corruption

1. Indiv Officer Explanation (1 bad cop)

2. Social Structure Explanation (social structures in US like politics)

3. Neighborhood Explanation (neighborhoods with social disorganization = lower social control)

4. Nature of Police Work (typically without much supervision + constantly exposed to wrongdoing)

5. Police Organization (corruption in dept can lead to tolerance)

6. Police Subculture (emphasis on loyalty + group solidarity can lead to lying + covering up)

2 Types of Corrupt Officers

1. Grass-Eaters

2. Meat-Eaters

Grass-Eaters

Officers who participate in more passive types of police corruption by accepting opportunities of corruption that present themselves

Meat-Eaters

Officers who participate in more aggressive type of corruption by seeking out + taking advantage of opportunities of corruption

4 Types of Police Corruption

1. Gratuities

2. Bribes

3. Theft/Burglary

4. Internal Corruption

Gratuities

Items of value received by someone bc of their role or job rather than bc of a personal relationship

Bribes

Payment of $ or other contributions to officer with intent to subvent aim of cj system

Theft/Burglary

Taking of $ or property while performing duties

Internal Corruption

Paying for special assignments or promotions

3 Levels of Police Corruption

1. Rotten Apple Theory

2. Unorganized Corruption

3. Organized Corruption

Rotten Apple Theory

Theory of corruption in which its believed that individual officers within the agency are bad, rather than the whole organization

Unorganized Corruption

Most officers are corrupt, but they are not working together

Organized Corruption

Almost all officers are corrupt + working together

Noble Cause Corruption

Involves officers bending rules to achieve the “right” goal of putting criminal in jail

Aka dirty harry problem

Police Deception

Form of misconduct that includes perjury + falsifying police reports

Perjury

Willfully lying in court

Biased Based Policing

Any police initiated activity that relies on a person’s race or ethnic background rather than on behavior as a basis for identifying individuals as being involved in crim activity

Aka racial profiling; Brown v Board of Education

Implicit Bias

The bias in judgement and/or behavior that results from subtle cognitive processes such as implicit attitudes + stereotypes that operate often at a subconscious level

Internal Affairs Division

The unit of a police agency thats charged with investigating police corruption or misconduct

Integrity Tests

Proactive investigation of corruption in which investigators provide chances for officers to commit illegal acts

Often thought as entrapment

Mollen Commission

A commission created in 1990’s to investigate corruption allegations in NYPD

Citizen Oversight

A method that allows for the independent citizen review of complaints filed against police through a board or committee that independently reviews misconduct allegations

Allows independent review of complaints filed against police through board/committee

Not a motivator of performance

Civil Liability

Potential liability for payment of damages as a result of ruling in a civil lawsuit

State tort laws + civil rights laws

Criminal Liability

Subject to punishment for a crime

Penal code dealing with public officials and/or general population

Brown v Board of Edu

Established “seperate but equal”

Administrative Liability

Subject to the policies + procedures of the dept

Domestic Violence + Policing

Domestic violence more prelevant in police families than general population

Police Brutality

The excessive or unreasonable use of force in dealing with citizens, suspects, offenders

How do we measure crime

1. Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) (looks at index crimes)

2. National Crime Victimization Survey

USA Patriot Act

Broadened ability to search, detain, or eavesdrop in pursuit of possible terrorists