Community Policing Corruption Essay Example for Free

Community Policing decomposition EssayIn todays society, the summation of crime that occurs can be quite difficult to deal with and responsibility ends up locomote on legal philosophy of nature to curtail it. Unfortunately, the infectious nature of crime often drags these assigned stoppers into the same the Great Compromiser that they atomic number 18 trying to prevent others from falling into. When ships officeholders cry knocked surface(p) their legally sanctioned position of authority, it is kn profess as law of nature force degeneration. It is a persistent problem that is more significant in a criminal aw atomic number 18ness than the average person committing a crime beca subprogram it is happening by a representative/protector of the law. Since police are not judiciaries, they do not determine who is guilty and thus dampen the law transcription when they do these crimes. Also, it is important to remark that police defileion is not the same as an ordin ary illustration of crime.To elaborate, Police subversive activity is an illegal use of organizational power for personal pull together. The personal nature of the gain distinguishes corruption from brutality, perjury, illegal search, or any other law violations committed in the pursuit of much(prenominal) legitimate organizational goals as fighting crime. The organizational nature of the power used illegally excludes umteen crimes committed by policemen, such as burglary committed by a city police ships officer in his suburban town of residence in which he has no contact with the local police. That situation burglary would be me avow a crime. A burglary committed by a police officer in his own police jurisdiction, under the protection of his colleagues or aided by his organizational knowledge of his colleagues practices, would be both a crime and an act of police corruption. (Sherman, 31). As one can see, police corruption is a serious problem as it is almost always involve s an associated act of crime.There is no way of life for this behaviour in fair environments and it cannot occur if society wishes to advance. Ultimately, police corruption cannot coexist with the concept of fraternity policing because it is unethical and morally wrong, it is contrary to Robert Peels order principles of policing and undermines effectiveness, and it sprees no sense of accountability to the establishment and to the world. There is no logical way to fairishify corrupt actions by the police. Any time it occurs, it involves the abuse of a legally sanctioned position of authorityin other words, the status of the police officer makes the crime possible. It is this abuse of a sanctioned and sacred affectionate position that makes police corruption so dangerous. It is the ultimate social inversionthe cops become criminals. (Police Corruption) Instead of helping to fight crime, they end up alter to the problem through means that are only available to them because of their sworn duties as protectors of the community.When corruption is revealed to the public, the police lose the confidence and trust that allows them to function and be legitimate. Corrupt acts are fill outly immoral as they are motivated by personal gain which demonstrates selfishness and a disregard of the well-being of society. The negative aspects of police misconduct cannot be overstated as they immediately threaten the possibility of effective police-community relationships. In term of public trust for law enforcement, recent polls convey that only 56 percent of mess rated the police as having a high or very high ethical standard as compared with 84 percent for nurses. Over the past few decades, great strides have occurred in the law enforcement profession. To start up with, many police agencies have avoided hiring candidates who have low ethical standards and have identified those onboard employees early in their careers who might compromise the departments integrity. I n addition, research has discovered new methods of testing candidates for their psychological propensity to act ethically.However, unethical conduct by the nations police officers continues to occur in departments large and small. (Martin). Clearly, society has made some(prenominal) strides toward ensuring ethical and rational behaviour in the police force but it is impossible to root it out all the way to the individual level. For community policing to be effective, a high percentage of officers must be able to see the difference between right and wrong and take appropriate action. Recent studies offer some come acrossing of the phenomenon in the hope of rooting out this behavior that serves to undermine the overall genuineness of law enforcement. Theories on the role of society in law enforcement, the negative influence of an officers department, and a persons own natural tendency to engage in unethical behavior have been offered as potential explanations. bit some may argue t hat the rotten apple theory is the best explanation for this problem, the vast amount of evidence to the contrary is overwhelming.Deviance rarely persists in an isolated environment but it thrives when it is adopted by an entity such as a department. To explain, If we scan these activities then it must be plain that we are no longer dealing with individuals seeking solely personal gain but with group behaviour grow in established arrangements. Police officers have to be initiated into these practises, rationalisations have to be produced to accept them, supervisors have to conjure or turn a blind eye, justifications have to be sought to continue them, and organizations have both in some way to condone or encourage these activities or else fail to tackle them.This is social behaviour, conducted in groups within organizations, that is powerful enough to override the officers oath of office, personal conscience, departmental regulations and criminal laws (European Committee, 68). Fo r all of these events to occur, it is evident that a multitude of people inside the organization must gather and therefore it is rarely an isolated case of corruption. Corruption is highly contagious and this is illustrated well through theories such as the slippery slope and grass vs meat eaters This also explains why corruption is ordinarily laborious in certain precincts or areas instead of being dispersed.Sir Robert Peel was credited with the concept that the police take care on citizen cooperation in providing services in a democratic society. Peel envisioned a pie-eyed connection between the police and the community (Police Corruption). Unfortunately, the existence of police corruption is contrary to all nine of his principles. The polices basic mission is to prevent crime and disorder, which they only contribute to if they are corrupt. They rely on the public approval of their actions, which cannot happen in a just society (community tolerance, or even support, for polic e corruption can facilitate a departments becoming corrupt Sherman, 32). Corrupt police officers do not cooperate with the public they avoid contact as they do not want to reveal their illicit nature.Since corrupt officers are aware of their actions, they might have unfit judgement and use physical force. They fail to demonstrate absolutely impartial service by attempting to pull wires public opinion, do not become one with the public, they usurp the power of the judiciary, and sacrifice efficiency for personal gain by not devoting all of their effort to reducing crime and disorder. These corrupt officers also undermine effectiveness as they do not use their time as well as they should be, show only self-concern and indifference to the morality of the situation, and abuse resources. The legal authority of police departments and the nature of law violations in their jurisdiction provide organizational resources that can be exploited for personal gain.The nature of these resources v aries greatly among and within police departments according to the nature of police tasks performed and the social characteristics of the police task environment. A police department that is a corrupt organization can exploit the resources for internal profit. In all cases, using of these resources for personal gain is an inversion of the formal goals of the organization. (Sherman, 38). Depending on exactly what type of resources the organization deals with, they may or may not be suitable for exploitation. Federal drug enforcement entities constantly deal with opportunities to make a lot of illicit profit whereas Secret Services almost never has chances to make illicit gains at all.In many situations, police may lose some or all of their accountability to the public or government if they do not act with the appropriate intentions. Accountability is a vital cistron of not just community policing but policing in general. If the police are to achieve their goal which should be lawfu lness and genuineness, they require effective accountability procedures. Lawfulness and legitimacy, in turn, are essential if the police are to achieve their goals of reducing crime and disorder, enhancing the quality of neighborhood life, and serving community needs. A lack of legitimacy inhibits the development of working partnerships that are an essential ingredient in community policing and problem oriented policing. obstinate to the popular view that effective crime control and respect for constitutional principles are competing values in policing, experts today increasingly recognize that lawful conduct and accountability are essential for crime-fighting. (Walker, 1).While it is unmixed that lawfulness and legitimacy must be upheld in order to serve the community, a total question of a democratic society that the police should be held accountable for their actions. This includes choosing what actions they take and how they perform. This is especially true in post-conflict environments where police forces are viewed as brutal, corrupt, and unfair. In order to maintain a healthy relationship, a boastful society must be maintained, complaints about the police must be addressed, and police themselves must be protected by disgruntled acts by the community (Accountability and Police). At the same time, police must respect a healthy distance to avoid excessive personal interaction which leads to preferential treatment, discretion, and favouritism.Furthermore, it is important to note that, The accountability of police to the public is undermined when charges are often dropped while officers under investigation are usually suspended with make up. In other words, there is no real certainty of punishment and this de-legitimizes any picture of public accountability and respect for the law (Police Corruption). In the eyes of the public, it is already bad enough that the officer are taking advantage of their position of authority but to have them face virtual ly no consequences is beyond demoralizing. In order for community policing to exist, the public must be confident in the fact that the police are not taking advantage of their position and are accountable in and out of service.In conclusion, because police corruption is unethical and morally wrong, violates all of Robert Peels principles, and shows a complete disregard of the notion of accountability, it is impossible to coincide with effective community policing. Police corruption is the illegal use of organizational power for personal gain and unfortunately a still a common particular in modern society. It is crucial for the police, as protectors of society, to not allow themselves to stoop so low. The community has to be able to know that no matter what police might have to deal with, they will take a breather pure and free of corruption in order to begin forming positive relationships. Methods of containing corruption include abolishing lively precedures that encourage corru ption, letting go of any member that demonstrates corrupt tendencies, requiring a certain level of accountability, and many other steps.Organizations such as the Special Investigations Unit have made strides in reducing corruption however it is not nearly enough. If corruption is controlled to a point where it no longer has a detrimental impact to society, community policing can have enough room to develop. Preventing corruption completely is a leggy order. However, steps can be taken to reduce it significantly. There are a few fundamental ideas that can be implemented that can, by their very nature, curb corruption. The three areas that need attention are the officer training, personal characters, and the incentives program. The first step is to hire police officers of good character. Stricter screening methods need to be implemented to decrease the chance that a potential hire will become corrupt.Once an officer is hired, the department should do all it can to promote ethics on t he job. The department must understand that the citizens trust the police to be ethical, and a breach of that trust is unjust. Further, it is not practical to act unethically. peck eye the police and their behavior constantly. Corruption in the force makes it easier for a citizen to rationalize acting unlawfully, which just creates more work for the police. If a police officer, who is allegedly the pillar of the law, can defy it, why cannot the citizens who pay for the police services? (White) A corrupt police officer cannot very well express efficaciously why citizens should obey the law, for he has no consistency and thus no credibility.Works CitedSherman, Lawrence W. Scandal and reclaim Controlling Police Corruption. N.p. University of California, 1978. Print.Police Powers and Accountability in a Democratic Society. N.p. 2000. Google Books. Web. http//books.google.ca/books?id=cVAOfvU1o-wC.Walker, Samuel. Police Accountability authoritative Issues and Research Needs. National Institute of Justice Police Planning (2006) 1-35. National Criminal Justice beginning Service. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. http/https//www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/218583.pdf.White, Stuart A. Controlling Police Corruption. Stanford University. N.p., 4 June 1994. Web. 25 Jan. 2012. http//www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/paradox/hwhite.html.Martin, Rich M.S. Police Corruption An Analytical Look Into Police Ethics. FBI. N.p., May 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2012. http//www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/may_2011/law_enforcement_professionalism.