Analysis Of Police Corruption Essay Research Paper — страница 4

expressed some reservations about. “No group is good at policing itself,” says Knapp Commission counsel Armstrong. “It doesn’t hurt to have somebody looking over their shoulder.” An independent body, however, might be less effective at getting co-operation from cops prone to close ranks against outsiders. “You have to have the confidence of officers and information about what’s going on internally,” says former U.S. Attorney Thomas Puccio, who prosecuted a number of police-corruption cases. (New York Times, April 3, 1993: p. 5) Getting that information was no easier when officers were encouraged to report wrongdoing to authorities within their own department. In many cities that have them, internal affairs divisions are resented within the ranks for getting cops

to turn in other cops – informers are even recruited from police-academy cadets — and for rarely targeting the brass. “One of the things that has come out in the hearings is a culture within the department which seems to permit corruption to exist,” says Walter Mack, a one time federal prosecutor who is now New York’s deputy commissioner of internal affairs. “But when you’re talking about cultural change, you’re talking about many years. It’s not something that occurs overnight.” (New York Post, June 14, 1993: p. 28) Dowd, who was sentenced prison on guilty please, put it another way. “Cops don’t want to turn in other cops,” he said. “Cops don’t want to be a rat.” And even when honest cops are willing to blow the whistle, there may not be anyone

willing to listen. (New York Times, Mar. 29, 1993: p. 14) Is there a solution to the police corruption problem? Probably not because since its beginings, many aspects of policing have changed, but one thing that has not is the existence of corruption. Police agenies, in an attempt to elminate corruption have tried everything from increasing salaries, requiring more training and education, and developing polices which are intended to focus directly on factors leading to corruption. What have all these changes done to eliminate or even decrease the corruption problem? Little or nothing. Despite police departments’ attempts to control corruption, it still occurs. Regardless of the fact, police corruption cannot simply be over looked. Controling corruption is the only way that we

can really limit corruption, because corruption is the by-product of the individual police officer, societal views, and, police environmental factors. Therefore control must come from not only the police department, but also must require the assistance and support of the community members. Controling corruption from the departmental level requires a strong leadership organization, because corruption can take place any where from the patrol officer to the chief. The top administrator must make it clear from the start that he and the other members of the department are against any form of corrupt activity, and that it will not be tollerated in any way, shape, or form. If a police administrator does not act strongly with disciplinary action against any corrupt activity, the message

conveyed to other officers within the department will not be that of intimated nature. In addition it may even increase corruption, because officers feel no actions will be taken against them. Another way that police agencies can control its corruption problem starts orginally in the academy. Ethical decisions and behavior should be promoted, because failing to do make officers aware of the consequences of corruption does nothing but encourages it. Finally, many police departments, especially large ones, have an Internal Affairs unit which operates to investigate improper conduct of police departments. These units some times are run within the department or can be a total outside agency to insure that there is not corruption from within the Internal Affairs unit, as was alleged

in the 1992 NYPD corruption scandal. Such a unit may be all that is need to prevent many officers from being tempted into falling for corrupt behavior patterns. Although the police agaency should be the main source of controling its own corruption problem, there also requires some support and assistance from the local community. It is important that the public be educated to the negative affects of corruption on their police agency. They should be taught that even ‘graitudes’ (the most basic and common form of police corruption) is only a catalyst for more and future corruption. The community may even go as far as establishing review boards, and investigative bodies to help keep a careful eye on the agency. If we do not act to try and control it, the costs can be enormous,