Individual and Group Ethics of Police Brutality - Essay Example

Running Head: Police Brutality Individual and Group Ethics of Police Brutality This essay is designed to show that while most police departments, and officers, are ethical, there is some disparity between what officers believe is moral behavior, and what immoral behaviors they would report if they witnessed a fellow officer performing it. There are some crimes that a high number of officers would report, if observed, but, unfortunately, police brutality is not at the top of the list. Since the 1991 taping, and subsequent worldwide viewing, of the Rodney King beating in California, more light has been shed on the violent nature of police departments, or, at least, particular personnel. In the next few pages, this essay will take an in depth look at police crimes, especially police brutality, and determine if an individual officer is likely to report crimes against fellow officers. Most laypeople have heard the term “blue wall of silence.” It refers to the fact that police officers, colloquially called boys in blue, do not report the crimes of one another, and would, in fact, lie to defend another officer if necessary. The author of “Police Ethics and Integrity: Breaking the Blue Code of Silence” (Westmarland, 2005) administered a study that showed some evidence to the contrary. She performed a questionnaire survey that revealed “officers’ attitudes towards certain unethical behaviour” (Westmarland, 2005). The questionnaire asked officers about a wide range of crimes including accepting “gifts” from business owners, accepting money from citizens caught in traffic violations, but wanting to avoid tickets, stealing items from crime scenes, and committing violent acts against community residents. The results of the study showed that in some instances, officers would feel compelled to report the bad deeds of other officers. For example, 97 percent of officers reported they would tell on a fellow officer if he saw him taking money from a found wallet; 98.5 percent of officers reported that would inform against an officer who stole a watch from a crime scene; but only 65.5 percent of those officers thought that hitting a suspect during an arrest was a very serious offense, and a small number of officers felt that punching a suspect was not serious at all. Basically speaking, the blue wall seems to have its own code of ethics. Officers who are violent against citizens are still more acceptable than officers who break the law for financial gain. Racial profiling, or targeting members of a particular ethnic group based on preconceived notions about that group, is thought to be one reason for high rates of police brutality in African-American communities. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is actively establishing a program to get of violent crimes by police officers, against persons of color. The program, Police Misconduct Initiative, is aimed at helping people who find “themselves the target of brutal and illegal law enforcement practices” (Mayer, 2007). Mayer’s news article quotes Executive Director of the National Black Police Association, Ronald Hampton, as saying, “I think the more soldiers we have in this war against police brutality and racial profiling, the better off we’ll be at the end of the day.” The article goes on to describe the New York deaths of two black men, Sean Bell and Amadou Diallo. Both cases received national coverage, as both men were unarmed, but, due to profiling, were shot 50 and 41 times, respectively. Scenarios like these create the need for an organization like the Police Misconduct Initiative. New York is not the only city (or state) with a tainted reputation. Chicago has problems of its own. According to Dateline news, one of the problems in Chicago is the fact that officers are unwilling to report one another. The article reads, “It is common for police officers to shield each other from punishment, but the phenomenon reaches an extreme in Chicago. Complaints of brutality were 94% less likely to be sustained in Chicago than in other large police departments” (Breaking, 2007). This is probably due to the fact that individual officers fear the repercussions of not supporting their partners or other cops. In fact, the Westmarland essay shows that officers often feel that colleagues should be punished for misdeeds, but they worry about officers being punished unfairly, or in the extreme, because they are civil servants. Apparently, officers would be more likely to tell on another officer if they were assured the result would be suspension or a monetary fine. Officers do not, however, want to see other officers fired from their jobs; therefore, they keep quite under the impression that their silence is for the greater good. Most officers of a department see themselves as one part of a whole, so an individual officer is unlikely to go against the grain and “snitch” on a fellow cop. There is a dichotomy of “individual integrity and group loyalty [being] simultaneously expected” (Westmarland, 2007). One officer who informs on another would also have to worry about what would happen to him in the line of duty if he is seen as a “whistle blower.” It is likely that an officer would worry about having to discontinue friendships with colleagues, even if those colleagues are completely law abiding, due to not conforming to the solidarity standards of police departments. An individual officer may also be worried that if he or she is ever in a less than ideal situation, fellow officers would not come to his (or her) aid, as payback for costing another officer his job. With these things in mind, it is no wonder that officers are not jumping at the chance to inform on one another. In Chicago, some think that the answer to the problem will “begin with a strong new police superintendent” (Breaking, 2007). NAACP Assistant General Counsel, Victor Goode, believes that a system of proactivity, rather than reacting only after a tragedy, is going to be the key (Mayer, 2007). Either way it goes, it is clear that something has to be done, and the more ideas brought forth, and the more people giving attention to the issue, the better off all communities will be. The facts are clear. There is a blue wall of silence, whereby police officers are unlikely to inform on one another. The wall, though, has its limits. Most police officers will, in fact, turn another officer in if the officer’s poor conduct is an offense that unjustly gains that officer money or property that he isn’t entitle to. Many officers don’t, however, feel that brutalizing a suspect is worthy of causing another officer to lose his job. Officials of some cities, states, and various organizations feel this needs to be changed. Like the NAACP, programs are looking toward keeping communities safe. While individual officers still aren’t likely to go against an entire department for fear of being shunned, some proactive rules may cause a decrease in acts of aggression by police officers, against innocent members of communities. References Breaking the blue wall. (2007, October 20). Economist, Retrieved March 18, 2008, from Humanities International Complete database. Mayer, L. (2007, May). NAACP creates new program to combat police brutality. Crisis (15591573), 114(3), 45-46. Retrieved March 18, 2008, from Humanities International Complete database. Westmarland, Louise (2005, June). Police ethics and integrity: Breaking the blue code of silence. Policing & Society 15(2), 145-165. Read More