Police Behavior- Misconduct, Deviance, and Corruption - Essay Example

Police Behavior- Misconduct, Deviance, and Corruption Police officers are virtually present in every formal territory that constitutes a country. Police officers in most circumstances are recruited publicly before training in the various centers as it in every country. It will not be an exaggeration to state that one of the jobs in the entire world that requires high-level discipline, integrity, and ethics is the police force (Barker 45). This happens so because police officers are by nature of their jobs in constant touch with the civilians to who they are suppose to protect in a number of ways, insecurity, deception, deceit, and trickery amongst other forms of what constitutes loss or harm to the innocent citizens (Barker 67). To ensure that the stated duties of the police are carried out without any inconvenience and uncertainty, there is developed the police code of ethics, the codes of ethics established for the officers are designed in a deliberate way to curb any form of deviance that may arise due to circumstances dictated by the environment (Caldero and Crank 123). They are also intentioned to jeopardize the officers’ efforts in mutilating the very slogan that they profess to for personal gain or failure to administer justice or deliberately delay it for the benefits of persons they know or to whom they are related (Punch 98). In the general code of ethics are affirmations of the following nature, that they recognize their badges as an emblem of faith and confirm to abide by it during service between God and the profession and never to opt for the contrary (Sherman 134). That in their duties, they will never allow prejudice, friendship and any unstipulated factor not within the prescribed conduct interfere with their diligent execution of duty, while in the same breadth not allow malice, ill-will and personal grudges be the guiding and driving force during their performance (Barker 98). Despite the stringent measures that ensure that the work of the police is not compromised at every stage, the efforts are still in vain. The police are faced with several challenges both within and outside that impede the good intentions of the supposed disciplined forces. These challenges transform the police to expose a contrary face to the public to the extent that the public towards the police has developed certain stereotypes (Sherman 143). Some of the notable unethical conducts portrayed by the police to that effect include the following. Misconduct, this is a term used to explain the unfortunate behavior of the police by virtue of holding an office. In most cases, people do misconstrue this for violation of authorities bestowed upon someone. Misconduct is unlawful and creates a wrong impression of the police to the public enabling them to have a blanket accusation on the police fraternity (Sherman 78). Misconduct in an office can be practiced in three different ways depending on the nature of the circumstance. Malfeasance is the one form of the misconducts that implies intentional warranting of an unlawful act when actually the parties in pursuant of the act have no legal backing whatsoever. It involves the use of facilities that are not personal when not on official duties e.g. use of police vehicles for personal benefits. Confessing untrue statement in a court of law, usually referred to as perjury is also a form of misconduct manifested by the police amidst performing their duties (Sherman 96). Misfeasance is another form of misconduct known to be committed by the police; it involves execution of officers’ duties in such a manner that it depicts unprofessionalism or haphazard operation while in pursuit of their duties. It involves harassment, reckless operation of the forces facilities or sluggishness in responding to emergencies (Sherman 77). Finally, there is the misfeasance that involves deliberate avoidance of the due diligence duties for no apparent reason when the act or directive is very clear on the operation procedures. ‘Go slow’ is thus a form of misfeasance, it indicates a non-enthusiastic response to matters that are ought to be given such a swift responses. Deviance is another trap for the police, it denotes involving in activities that are against normalcy (Caldero and Crank 56). This is a common phenomenon observed within the police force as many go off track and find themselves in the mix of being compromised for their own selfish gains. Police defiance overlaps with many activities the police engage in thus it have been subdivided into types to include. Police gratuity, this are the services, discounts or meals that are offered to the officers in the cause of their duties to offer illegal amnesty or favor such that illegal act can be established for a free zone to continue taking place. The activity sometimes is referred to as fringe benefits of the job. This activity is illegal as it makes the police to compromise on the efficacy of their duty by not apprehending culprits and offenders in a court of law. In some instances, the police themselves initiate police gratuity, this include such times when they make patrols or quelling a riot. The police during this period may facilitate pilferages and theft of properties in the course of the mayhem; this is also common in crime scenes (Punch 76). Police shakedown also constitutes defiance, in this case, the police deliberately ignore applying the law is situations where it is due (Sherman 243). They extort money from businessmen who are likely or have violated some minor regulations, for instance, in some cities bars are not suppose to operate past sometime in the night this provides an opportunity for these officers to obtain bribes so that the law could be sagged for the violators (Sherman87 ). Other areas that police shakedown are on the rife includes, gay bars and strip clubs. Areas with illegal gambling and bars that stock illegal liquor are also beneficiaries of this amnesty upon bribing the police. Defiance can also be manifested in perjury, in perjury the police officers deliberately omit key evidence in there prosecution so as to allow unsuccessful prosecution of the offenders for a pay, on the other way, the can also implant a case for suspects to whom they do not have sufficient evidence to convict (Barker 34). Police are coached witnesses and can implicate anybody as long as the intent is there. With the knowledge that perjury is real, there is a strict law to apprehend any police that through substantial grounds is believed to have given false witness regarding a suspect (Barker 54). Police profanity also falls within deviance; police officers are trained on the use language in order to avoid use of any language that may sound indecent and obscene to the public. That is notwithstanding, police in many instances ignore the regulation and use connotations that reverse the decency they should uphold. Amongst other deviance activities of the police include brutality, sleeping while duty is pending and abuse of drugs and drinking during off duty causing mayhem (Punch 67). Corruption is another anti ethics act that is portrayed by the police during their discharge of duty. Corruption constitutes the apex of all the police unorthodox behavior. Corruption is the act of using the individual capacity for personal gainful reasons. Interestingly, all this unethical manifestation by the police always happens in tandem (Caldero and Crank 74). Police officers exhibit high-level corruption in the traffic by certifying vehicles that do not adhere to the entire traffic requirement to operate on the roads. Drivers who commit traffic offences are also pardoned upon succumbing to the needs of the police. Corruption also arise in dealing with drug traffickers internally and internationally, there is a close tie between the two such that it is the police that creates a free atmosphere for the narcotic drugs to be move freely and reach the intended persons. The police on their side are given a chunk of the money raised in the commercialization of the illegal products (Barker 89). These challenges that faces the police needs urgent mitigation to ensure that the intended work of the widely acknowledge ‘disciplined forces’ can be appreciated and scaled to greater heights. Some of the proposals that have been advanced include salary increase, increased welfare in terms of facilities that helps them in implementation of duties. In other countries, community policing has been put into place where the public are informed and enlightened to work in association with the police to identify and help in arrest of the lawbreakers. The viability of the programme is yet to be known (Caldero and Crank 132). Works Cited Barker, Tom. Police Ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement. Illinois: Charles C Thomas Publisher, 2011. Print. Caldero, Michael A. and John P Crank. Police Ethics: The Corruption of Noble Cause. Burlington: Elsevier, 2010. Print. Punch, Maurice. Police Corruption: Deviance, Accountability and Reform in Policing. Willan Publishing, 2009. Print. Sherman, Lawrence W. Scandal and Reform: Controlling Police Corruption. Carlifonia: University of California Press, 1989. Print. Read More