Chapter Eight Flashcards
What is Ethics?
The study of what constitutes good or bad conduct
Important that police officers study it:
-Must use a lot of discretion
-Must protect the Constitution
-Are public servants
The dilemma of Law versus order
-Police corruption and brutality have always been part of policing
-Police must comply with the same laws they are paid to enforce
-Officers have to weigh many variables
-No such thing as minor unethical behavior
Review of police: Knapp Commission
investigated police corruption in NY and found it in:
- Gambling, narcotics, prostitution, construction, bars, Sabbath law, parking, traffic
Judicial Review:
process by which actions of police are reviewed by courts.
Mapp v. Ohio
Miranda v. Arizona
Police corruption
Acts involving misuse of authority by officers for personal gain
Corruption books and films
-Serpico
-Prince of the City
-L.A confidential
-Dark blue
Examples of police corruption
80s, 90s: large-scale cases around the country
2000: LAPD Rampart scandal involved 70 officers
2003: three Miami officers convicted of conspiracy
2005: New Orleans police allegations following Hurricane Katrina
2009: Bernard Kerik, former NYC police commissioner, indicted for making false statements
Reasons for police corruption
-Individual officer explanations
-Social structural explanations
-Neighborhood explanations
-Nature of police work
-Police organization
-Police subculture
What are the two types of corrupt police officers?
-Grass-eaters: passive and accept what is offered to them
-Meat-eaters: more aggressive and search out opportunities to exploit for financial gain
What are the four types of police corruption?
-Taking gratuities
-Taking bribes
-Theft or burglary
-Internal corruption
What are the three levels of police corruption?
-Rotten apples and rotten pockets
-Pervasive, unorganized corruption
-Pervasive, organized corruption
What is noble cause corruption?
Situations where police officers bend rules to attain “right” result
More significant problem than economic corruption
EFFECTS of police corruption
Misconduct committed by an officer affects:
-Officer
-Department officer works for
-Community officer serves
-All police departments and officers in America
Other police misconduct:
-Drug-related corruption
-Sleeping on duty
-Police deception, including perjury when testifying in court
-Sex-related corruption
- Domestic violence in police families
Biased-based policing
Racial profiling: any police-initiated activity that relies on race or ethnicity rather than behavior