Frank Serpico: Resisting Organizational Deviance - Essay Example

Frank Serpico: Resisting Organizational Deviance Frank Serpico’s response to organizational deviance and commitment to his role as a police officer and public servant are inspiring. I am especially influenced by Serpico’s individuality and strength in the face of overwhelming odds. Soon after joining New York City’s policy force, Serpico discovered that his fellow police officers were accepting bribes (Thompson). As a new officer joining the police force, one would expect that Serpico would instinctively go along with the organizational culture of corruption. However, this was not Serpico’s response as he immediately recognized the organizational deviance on the part of his peers and refused to subscribe to it (Thomson). The corruption was described as conduct in which police officers unlawfully confiscating illegal drugs and cash from drug dealers and providing protection for the unlawful drug trade (Greene). Corruption of a similar nature took place in gambling and prostitutions where the cash stakes were similarly high (Maas). Not all of the officers were participating in this circle of corruption. Other officers observing the corrupt practices simply decided against doing anything about it and as a consequence merely turned a blind eye to the corruption (Maas). Since the corruption was concentrated among plainsclothes police officers, other cops not wishing to participate in the corruption requested and secured transfers to uniform police departments (Maas). Seperico apparently decided to process the information he acquired relative to organizational deviance and there was never any doubt that he was opposed to this kind of behavior (Maas). What distinguishes Serpico and inspires me is that he not only decided to refuse to go along with the corruption, but that he also decided that he was not going to simply “look the other way” (Maas 13). Serpico took his oath to “uphold the law” very seriously and in doing so became the first policy officer to report corruption and to “voluntarily” give evidence of it in court (Maas 13). In making the decision to confront the corruption Serpico sought to advice of an officer who prior to joining the police could not decide between whether or not he wanted to join the priesthood or the police. The officer advised Serpico that what he should do was “make an example” of himself (Maas). Serpico’s decision to fight corruption by reporting it and testifying in court is no small feat. Going against fellow officers was looked upon as far more reprehensible than the corruption itself (Maas). Therefore, stepping forward against this kind of organizational culture took a great deal of courage and individuality. As Gobert and Punch argue, whistleblowers play a significant role in countering “organizational deviance” (25). However, there have been a number of high profile cases, including Serpico’s, that reveal that whistleblowers can suffer significant repercussions within the organization for their disclosure (Gobert & Punch). According to Belur, the organizational culture of police organizations is punctuated by “sub-cultural values of secrecy and loyalty to colleagues” (95). These sub-cultural values cultivates “group solidarity that punishes whistle blowing” in a number of ways including “cold shoulder treatment”, “dismissal”, “demotion”, “discrimination”, “ostracisms” and can even include “assault” (Belur 95). Serpico would break the “rule of silence” and would pay dearly for his honesty and integrity (Belur 95). As Maas puts it, there was an “unwritten code” which dictated that “a cop could not turn in other cops” (26). Serpico joined the police in 1959 after having served in Korea. He was proud to be a police officer and aspired to rise to the rank of detective. He first discovered corruption when is partner collected what was referred to as “pad money” (Pollock 173). Pad money was payoffs offered by merchants so that police would be present to prevent trouble and would in the meantime “ignore minor violations of store owners and their customers” (Pollock 173). According to Pollock: The pad was widespread in the department at the time, and Serpico quickly became known as the cop who didn’t want the money, earning him the distrust of those who did (173). In this regard, Serpico demonstrated individuality and integrity in distinguishing himself from a culture of deviance and remaining committed to his oath of office. Serpico discovered the breadth and true nature of the corruption during his tenure. Once he realized the serious and widespread nature of police corruption alerted supervisors, but to no avail. It appeared to Serpico, that regardless of who he informed of the persistent and pervasive police corruption, he merely got the “run-around” and the corrupt practices continued unimpeded (Pollock 173). Eventually, Serpico together with another officer David Durk took the claims of police corruption to the New York Times between 1970 and 1971 and exposed the corruption (Pollock). The exposure of police corruption took the form of a “series of stories” that eventually gave way to the formation of the Knapp Commission (Pollock). The Knapp Commission carried out an extensive investigation of allegations of police corruption (Dempsey & Forst). In the meantime, Serpico and Durk remained in the police department amidst attitudes toward them that they were traitors (Pollock). Pollock also noted that “there was a real danger that corrupt police officers would retaliate against them” (Pollock 173). Before Serpico testified before the Knapp Commission there was an incident in which it was suspected that corrupt police officers did retaliate against Serpico. The incident occurred in a “drug bust” in which Serpico was shot at close range in the face with other officers standing just “behind him” (Pollock 173). It was suspected that the shooting of Serpico was arranged, particularly since, an “officer down” alert was not sent out (Pollock 173). Adding to the suspicion of an arranged shooting was the fact that the incident was not investigated and no officer was accused of wrongdoing (Pollock). Serpico managed to survive the shooting and despite his suspicions that the shooting was retaliatory in nature, he was not deterred in his efforts to fight corruption within the police organization. Serpico testified before the Knapp Commission and was subsequently awarded the police department’s Medal of Honor. He retired from the police department and left the country returning only after a decade of absence. Upon his return to the US during the decade of the 1980s Serpico continued to articulate his stance against police corruption and put his support behind whistleblowers. According to Serpico, whistleblowers were in fact “lamplighters”, a term used to refer to “Paul Revere’s famous ride” (Pollock 174). Pollock notes a paradox that surround’s Serpico’s courage. According to Pollock: One of the sad facts is that the name Serpico continues to elicit two different reactions. For some, it represents the epitome of an honest and brave man who stood against corruption at great risk to self. For others, it represents a ‘rat’, a man who turned his back on his friends, and, for some officers, to be called a ‘Serpico’ is an insult (174). Regardless, Serpico undoubtedly represents for me, the kind of police officer that inspires public confidence. This is because, Serpico represents the honest, committed and conscientious police officer committed to enforcing the law and protecting public interests. By taking a stance against police corruption against his own self-interest and safety, the public can feel confident in the knowledge that police corruption is not protected by a code of secrecy and that there are in fact ethical and honest police officers. Dempsey and Forst inform that as a result of Serpico’s courage, honesty and integrity, police reform soon followed. After the formation of the Knapp Commission there were “widespread changes” within the New York Police Department with respect to policies and procedures under the authorship of newly appointed Commissioner Patrick Murphy (Dempsey & Forst 215). Murphy not only made changes calculated to identify and deal with incidents of corruption, but also made some significant changes to counter the future risk of corruption. These measures included taking the position that “the only honest-dollar was the one in your pay-check” (European Committee on Crime Problems 71). Secondly, high ranking officers would be “accountable for the deviant behavior” of officers under their supervision. (European Committee on Crime Problems 71). Thirdly, a system for internal controls was established. Finally, Murphy implemented a system for screening police applicants for honesty and integrity (European Committee on Crime Problems). These changes are encouraging as they not only validate Serpico’s whistleblowing but also draw attention to the fact that corruption is unacceptable and contrary to the goals and objectives of police organizations. Serpico’s courage is inspiring because it demonstrates how a police officer should treat his/her oath of office and his/her responsibility to the public. While it is entirely necessary to cooperate with fellow police officers, that cooperation should be based on the shared goal of protecting and enforcing the law. When fellow police officers take action that compromises the integrity and purpose of law enforcement, all efforts should be made to resist and expose wrong doing. Works Cited Belur, J. Permission to Shoot?: Police Use of Deadly Force in Democracies. London, UK: Springer, 2010. European Committee on Crime Problems. Police Powers and Accountability in a Democratic Society. Strasbourg: Council of Europe Publishing, 2000. Dempsey, J. S. and Forst, L. S. An Introduction to Policing. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar, 2012. Gobert, J. and Punch, M. “Whistleblowers, the Public Interest, and the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998”. The Modern Law Review, (January 2000) Vol. 63(1): 25-54. Greene, J. R. Encyclopedia of Police Science. Vol. 2. New York, NY: Routledge, 2007. Maas, P. Serpico. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc., 1997. Pollock, J. M. Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2012. Thompson, W. N. Gambling in America: An Encyclopedia of History, Issues, and Society. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO, Inc., 2001. Read More