Police in America Chapter Ten Police Corruption

Definition of Police Corruption n Acts involving the misuse of authority by a police officer in a manner designed to produce personal gain for himself or for others. Herman Goldstein

Types of Corruption n Gratuities Free meals, dry cleaning,or discountsFree meals, dry cleaning,or discounts Receive or not receive?Receive or not receive? Why would business persons give gratuities?Why would business persons give gratuities? n Bribes For not enforcing the lawFor not enforcing the law Selling informationSelling information Protecting illegal activitiesProtecting illegal activities n Theft and burglary Taking money from people arrested for drunkennessTaking money from people arrested for drunkenness Stealing property, money, or drugsStealing property, money, or drugs n Internal Corruption Buying promotions or transfersBuying promotions or transfers

Levels of corruption n Rotten apples and rotten pockets Only a few officersOnly a few officers Rotten pocket-a few officers cooperate with one anotherRotten pocket-a few officers cooperate with one another n Pervasive unorganized corruption Majority of personnel who are corrupt, but who have little relationship to each other.Majority of personnel who are corrupt, but who have little relationship to each other. n Pervasive organized corruption Penetrates higher levelsPenetrates higher levels

Theories of police corruption n Individual officer explanations Rotten applesRotten apples n The criminal law Regulation of activities that people regard as legitimate or matters of private choiceRegulation of activities that people regard as legitimate or matters of private choice Regulatory ordinancesRegulatory ordinances n Culture conflict Conflict over the goals of the systemConflict over the goals of the system n Local Political Culture Corruption pervades other parts of governmentCorruption pervades other parts of government n Nature of police work OpportunityOpportunity Low visibilityLow visibility Officer attitudeOfficer attitude

Theories of police corruption n Police organization Quality of management and supervisionQuality of management and supervision Exists because the department tolerates itExists because the department tolerates it n Police subculture Initiates officers into corrupt activitiesInitiates officers into corrupt activities Covers up corrupt activitiesCovers up corrupt activities

Controlling corruption n Internal Attitude of Chief of PoliceAttitude of Chief of Police Rules and RegulationsRules and Regulations Internal Affairs investigationsInternal Affairs investigations –Cracking the blue curtain –Integrity tests SupervisionSupervision Rewarding good officersRewarding good officers RecruitmentRecruitment

Controlling corruption n External Special investigationsSpecial investigations Criminal prosecutionCriminal prosecution Mobilizing public opinionMobilizing public opinion –Media