Chapter Eight

Question 1

What is Ethics?

Answer 1

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

Question 2

The dilemma of Law versus order

Answer 2

-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

Question 3

Review of police: Knapp Commission

Answer 3

investigated police corruption in NY and found it in:
- Gambling, narcotics, prostitution, construction, bars, Sabbath law, parking, traffic

Question 4

Judicial Review:

Answer 4

process by which actions of police are reviewed by courts.

Mapp v. Ohio
Miranda v. Arizona

Question 5

Police corruption

Answer 5

Acts involving misuse of authority by officers for personal gain

Question 6

Corruption books and films

Answer 6

-Serpico
-Prince of the City
-L.A confidential
-Dark blue

Question 7

Examples of police corruption

Answer 7

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

Question 8

Reasons for police corruption

Answer 8

-Individual officer explanations
-Social structural explanations
-Neighborhood explanations
-Nature of police work
-Police organization
-Police subculture

Question 9

What are the two types of corrupt police officers?

Answer 9

-Grass-eaters: passive and accept what is offered to them

-Meat-eaters: more aggressive and search out opportunities to exploit for financial gain

Question 10

What are the four types of police corruption?

Answer 10

-Taking gratuities
-Taking bribes
-Theft or burglary
-Internal corruption

Question 11

What are the three levels of police corruption?

Answer 11

-Rotten apples and rotten pockets
-Pervasive, unorganized corruption
-Pervasive, organized corruption

Question 12

What is noble cause corruption?

Answer 12

Situations where police officers bend rules to attain “right” result

More significant problem than economic corruption

Question 13

EFFECTS of police corruption

Answer 13

Misconduct committed by an officer affects:
-Officer
-Department officer works for
-Community officer serves
-All police departments and officers in America

Question 14

Other police misconduct:

Answer 14

-Drug-related corruption

-Sleeping on duty

-Police deception, including perjury when testifying in court

-Sex-related corruption

• Domestic violence in police families

Question 15

Biased-based policing

Answer 15

Racial profiling: any police-initiated activity that relies on race or ethnicity rather than behavior

Question 16

Racial profiling statistics

Answer 16

72 percent of African American males between 18 and 34 believe they’ve been stopped by police because of their race

Question 17

Police brutality

Answer 17

has existed as long as there have been organized police departments

2002: 26,556 complaints of excessive force reported
-Average of 1 incident per 200 full-time officers

Some brutality can be attributed to noble cause corruption

Question 18

Responses to police corruption

Answer 18

-Investigations by internal affair divisions
-Discipline and termination
-Preventive administrative actions (screening and good policy manual)
-Citizen oversight: independent review of complaints

Question 19

Civil Liability

Answer 19

Police officers may be sued in civil court

Question 20

Criminal liability

Answer 20

officers can be charged with violations of state penal law

Question 21

Effects of lawsuits

Answer 21

-Stimulate police reform
-Police fear frivolous lawsuits