Reducing Police Corruption

There are many forms of police and correctional officer corruption, that affects not only the effectiveness of our criminal justice system; but also society. Police corruption can be best explained as actions which “exploit the powers of law enforcement in return for considerations of private-regarding benefit and that violate formal standards governing his or her conduct” (Arrigo & Williams, 2012). Corrupt acts can consist of: corruption of authority, kickbacks, opportunistic theft, shakedowns, fixes, protection of illegal activities and direct criminal activities. In any order or fashion, all of the above mentioned is unethical and in many cases illegal (Arrigo & Williams, 2012). As for correctional officer corruption, it can share many of the same characteristics as for policing. Instead of external, correctional officer corruption is in most cases internal; which is notable difference between the two (Arrigo & Williams, 2012).

Unfortunately, the noble cause corruption or the Dirty Harry problem is difficult to overcome due to citizens wanting police officers to “do something” about crime or to get the criminals

Corruption in law enforcement has been active since the beginning of this occupation. Certain characteristics of policing have changed throughout its years, but corruption is not one of them. In actuality, this phenomenon has increased significantly throughout its years. We are seeing more and more officers being arrested now. These arrests do not include the hundreds of officers that have not been caught. Police corruption can generally be defined as using one’s authority and power as a police to gain and benefit illicitly (Wilson et. al, 1977). Some officers become corrupted as early as the academy or as late as years into their career. Many are not even aware that the acts they are involved in are forms of corruption. Some acts may

Research topic: Police corruption Research Thesis Statement: Police corruption involves the law enforcement engaging in ethical and unethical behavior including the abuse of authority and/or using their authority for personal attainment. Research Reasons Based on "Serpico." According to Ronald G. Burns police corruption can be defined as, "a form of police misconduct involving the misuse of authority for the personal gain of the officer or another" (Falcone, 2005, p.57). For several years, police corruption has been a major problem in American society in which the law enforcement cross the line between morality and ethicality. There are two main elements in corruption which include the abuse of authority or using their authority for personal

Many details have been examined in this paper that is extremely concerning to society. The corruptions that exist within the police departments are harming to the communities they lack to serve. There are numerous reasons why police reform is needed across all departments of the United States. The system we currently have in place has fallen so deep that respect the public one had for police has vanished. The information gathered concludes there is a lot of corruption that has gone unresolved. This corruption has come to light due to current technology making it easier to record in the moment. Corruption that has been accepted by authoritative organizations and has made this behavior seem norm within the code of silence.

Aung San Suu Kyi wrote, “It is not power that corrupts but fear. Fear of losing power corrupts those who wield it and fear of the scourge of power corrupts those who are subject to it.” If it can be said that power inevitably corrupts, there is no reason to presume that police officers as individuals are any less fallible than other members of society. There is a natural human inclination for power that is maximized today by the materialistic society we live in that fuels greed and seduces those with authority into reaping the personal and financial benefits of evading the law. The art of corruption has existed in American society since the early days of policing to modern day. Corruption applied to a police force entails the robbing of drug dealers, redirecting of contraband into the personal accounts of officers, perjuring one’s self to protect a corrupt officer, falsifying police reports, planting drugs to frame citizens, and a host of other misconduct that violates the oath of protecting the people. By approaching the issue of police misconduct with a focus on reformation internally and externally, police departments can take innovative steps from there to first, ensure corruptive deeds cease to occur initially and second, by reducing and eliminating it once it exists.

Where most of your police deviance is contributed to selfish needs or personal desires, a there portion of corruption that lead to the desire to produce good outcomes for other people (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). There are many forms of police corruption linked the war drugs, for instance when an official uses his power and discretion for personal monetary gain. There was a Memphis Police officer that was making a lot of what was thought to be quality stops until it was discovered that he was addicted to crack cocaine (ATF: MPD officer pawned police uniform for drug money.,2013). Some police officers also lose focus of the lines in which to cross that will assure justice for the victim. For the officer it is a violation of ethical and legal obligations assuming that they are doing a good job, therefore leading to an arrest or conviction. Receiving justice for the victims is the primary objective and not adhering to procedural restrictions or professional conduct (Williams & Arrigo, 2012). The physical and ethical war on drugs will be a continuous battle between the individuals creating these policies that infringe on the happiness of the masses, but in return, the minority will prosper

The broad or basic dictionary definition of corruption is dishonest or fraudulent conduct by those in power, typically involving bribery ("Corruption |Usage Example Sentence, Pronunciation, Web Definition | Google Dictionary."). My definition of corruption is the same, but my definition of corruption in law enforcement is different. This is my definition of corruption in law enforcement; when officers of the law are apart of officer misconduct and corruption which are abuses of their police authority. The misconduct and corruption refer to a wide range of

The recording of police officers in public places is something that has recently been under speculation. Many people have differing opinions on the legality of this. For the most part, recording police officers in public places is legal, and nothing has been done to make it illegal. However, many states differ in whether the video recordings can be used to go against a police officer and show that they are not fulfilling their police duties.

Officers that are convicted of police corruption need to experience the full extent of the law. They were in a position with authority and chose to abuse it. This will not only punish officers for their wrongdoing, but also deter others from acting inappropriately. It will also remove the rotten apples from the batch.

Police corruption can defined as any prescribed act involving the misuse of the officer’s official position for money or money’s worth or personal gain (Barker& Roebuck, 1983). Three elements identify police corruption 1) the behavior must be forbidden by law, rule, regulation and ethical standard. 2) The behavior must involve the misuse of the officers’ official position i.e. if the officer fails to do something he or she is supposed to do or does something against what he or she is supposed to. 3) The reward for corrupt acts should be money or money’s worth. Once an officer is involved in any type of form of corruption it can interfere with the police officer’s performance

During this time Law Enforcement went through a change. Police corruption and misconduct were common. Corrupt incidents were often related to politics and abuse of force and authority. Officers use of violence was an accepted practice when they believed someone was acting in an unlawful manner. It was believed that it was a more effective deterrent that arrest or incarceration. During this time “Street Justice” was acceptable practice if citizens were noncompliant with an officers orders. Citizens had very little recourse to file a complaint. Police supervisors and courts would normally side with the Officer.

According to the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy corruption is defined as the abuse of power by a public official for private gain. Police corruption is the abuse of power by a police officer for their own personal gain. Police officers become corrupt mainly for monetary gain because most feel that police officers do not make enough money and they want to make more. Police corruption can be costly to society and it can even violate the rights of society. Police corruption can show favoritism to some and unfairness to others. If the people of our society would ban together and stop thinking about themselves, then there could be a chance to eliminate the corruption caused by police. There are several kinds of police corruption; there are

The relationship between a police department and the community is an ideal that has become very prominent in recent years. Cultivating trust between the two sides is not something that comes easily, and its something that can be broken in one negative interaction. For police to effectively and adequately do their job, the public must believe that they will police in a respectful and fair manner.

The police department attempts to hire the most ethical individuals they can. When a person decides to become an officer, they become the protector of the community. Police officers are known as Gate keepers of the criminal justice system. Police officer are value-based decision makers so every decision they make can determine how the community sees them. An officer duty is to make sure there is public order maintained, deal with people who negligent the law and enforce the law. Officer are challenged everyday with ethical issues. The police have the power to take away civilians’ liberty, arrest them, take them into custody and use force to control them. They should ensure that there is order maintain because they’re seen as the protector of the community. The job of an officer is very critical because they are always being watched and under reviewed by the government agencies, including federal state and local agencies; the media; and the public. Across the Untied States police officers do hundreds of thousands of good acts from helping find a lost child, to bring the sick and injured to the hospital. Even with majority of good officers out there, there are officers who are corrupted. Corruption is defined as “acts involving misuse of authority by a police officer in a manner designed to produce personal gain for the officer or other” (Dempsey, 2010, p.211). What motivated these officers to become corrupted? It can be the lack of supervision, personal gain, or even the greed of money. It can be numerous of reason why an officer becomes corrupted. THESIS STATEMENT: