Similarities and Differences in the Criminal Subculture and the the Police Subculture

Although, a small percentage of officer keep their common sense and independent decision making skills in their job performance; to avoid becoming an outcast officers adhere to the “code of silence” out of survival. In many cases, retaliation is not an option for officers because this is their lively hood for their

Police officers have played a major role in society by protecting us from crime. Their responsibilities include not only preserving the peace, preventing criminal acts, enforcing the law, investigating crimes, and arresting those who violate the law but also directing traffic, community relations work, and controlling crowds at public events.

The role of police officers is very significant to American history. Police work toward protecting citizens’ rights and helping America become the land of the free. The United States of America is built from the U.S. Constitution Bill of Rights and police play a major role in making sure American rights are met. Evolution has changed many of American history for the better; policing is part of those changes. As new issues in society arise, police must change and adapt to protect and serve the public.

To begin, I shall summarize the major issue regarding the case study shown on page 103, in the 7th edition book Titled, Effective Police Supervision, written by Harry More and Larry Miller in 2015. Sergeant Lou Maynard recently got promoted to the evening supervisor for the Craigview Police Department. Six months had then passed. While leading his team, Maynard came to the realization that two of his officers did not seem motivated as the rest of them were. The other officers, that were doing their jobs, started to complain about the two non-motivated officers. They began stating that the two officers did not their carry their weight when it came to the team. The two officers are noticed working as if they do not wish to be there and are just waiting to retire in the next year. They have even distanced themselves when it comes to socializing with fellow officers on duty and off.

Most new recruits come into the law profession as idealistic young men and women with the goal of changing the world. These views soon begin to change as the job becomes more and more consuming and they accommodate the job parameters that are placed upon them. As discussed in the book, more and more situations begin to be viewed as bullshit and the more people they encounter are viewed as assholes. The average person is not exposed to the situations and people that law enforcement must deal with daily, and have a difficult time understanding the stress that is placed on officers. The perception the officers have of the world begin to changes due to the everyday encounters they experience. This leads officers to begin to withdrawal from society and loved ones, ending with a cycle of depression and isolation. They begin to place more of their attention on the job and forget about anything and everyone outside of that. This, to most agencies, is overlooked due to the fact that the

This special bond between fellow police officers is what is often coined as the police subculture. The police subculture is “a distinctive set of beliefs, values, attitudes and behaviors that are shared amongst the majority of officers working in police organizations”. (Reference.com). Since a police officer’s job is to combat criminal activity, often times they see civilians as irresponsible and possible threats, which is partially true considering both the innocent and criminals are civilians. Therefore, the only other individuals police officers can trust fully are other police officers. From this connection, aspects of friendship, cooperation, and reliability arise which supports the idea of police officers against civilians, or “us versus them”.

As law enforcement officers develop “working personality” as an occupational exercise, over time it becomes a habit displayed equally during work and off duty, which leads to becoming continuously suspicious of their surroundings, violating civilians constitutional rights, using excessive force, and acts of mayhem. The following are examples of when law enforcement officers “working personality” progresses into to their personal lives as illustrated in the articles below:

#2 Discuss three different social patterns regarding subculture and crime, i.e., who are more likely to be perpetrators? Victims? Who is most likely to be incarcerated? What crimes are females more likely to commit than males? What is the “gender contract”?

As a police officer, the major objectives are to maintain order, enforce the law, protect one’s property, and to save lives. In addition, police are divided into two roles based on how they perform their duties. The two roles of a police officer are a public servant and a crime fighter. A police officer whose role as a public servant is to serve all types of people, as well as criminals. Public servants regularly provide advice and make judgments as to the degree of risk they should take with the public. Many decisions involving risk are relatively easy to make, but others are complex and significant consequences (Kernaghan and Langford, 2016). These risks may involve using force and the consequences could be media backlash or a potential termination. Public servants abide by the oath and uphold the integrity and honor of the organization as an officer. Also, public servant officers like to play it safe because they like to be known as ordinary citizens who like to go home to their

A career in policing is an extraordinary experience. It offers amazing training and many opportunities to rise through the ranks. As a paramilitary force, a police officer's duty is the serve and protect the public from any and all immediate threat. They are responsible for threats partaking within a certain jurisdiction, although their police authority may extend their jurisdiction if necessary. A few main duties a police officer has as well as protecting the general public is: Patrolling the streets, arresting criminals, and appearing in court.

Becoming a police officer is not just a choice one makes, but in actuality a life decision. Officers must make sure they follow morals as well as the code of ethics. No matter if you’re an officer that patrols the city streets night after night, or an officer patrolling school grounds or malls, you’re still important. Everyone feels a sense of comfort when they know they are safe.

Police officers spend most of their time on duty around other officers. Overtime a subculture can form in response to constant exposure to each other. Police subculture consists of a combination of shared norms, values, goals, career patterns, lifestyles, and occupational structures (Dempsey and Forst, date). It is noted that traits exist in this subculture, such as clannishness, secrecy, honor, loyalty, individuality, and isolation from the public (Dempsey and Forst,). In correlation to the Michael Dowd case, police officers assigned to the seven five precinct formed their own secret group, where loyalty was expected. For instance, Dowd entrusted other NYPD officers to help him engage

Some officers feel that discussing police transgressions regarding behavior or expressing worries about corruption makes them appear ‘‘weak’’ or ‘‘soft’’. Some officers are uncertain whether certain gifts, such as flowers from a citizen saying ‘‘thank you’’ to an officer, are appropriate to accept (Westmarland, 2005). This uncertainty on the part of officers contributes to the “Code of Silence” that at times appears to be present in law enforcement.

As police officers they are given the opportunities to engage in sexual deviance and crimes against citizens that they encounter. As a part of their daily job duties that are regularly alone without the direct supervision from overseers. “Police commonly encounter citizens who are vulnerable, usually because they are victims, criminal suspects, or perceived as “suspicious” and subject to the power and coercive authority granted to police” (Stinson et al,2014). Police are able to take advantage of citizens that they encounter because they know that they have power over them. In many instance these cases may go unreported because victims may fear that the police may retaliate against them. Also because they may think that they case may not be

This study seeks to grasp a better understanding of how police recruit’s attitude toward non-legality police work change over time. Previous studies has shown how vital the process of socialization is in shaping the perception of work related issues. Four phases of socialization, introduced by Van Maanen (1973) acts as a foundation for this study. These phases consist of: Pre-socialization, in-school training, on-the-job training, and Metamorphosis. The author specifically focus on the second and third phases where data is collected as recruits