The Culture of the Police - Research Paper Example

The Police Culture Culture is what allows people to integrate and identify themselves as quintessential humans giving them the capacity for moral and ethical development. Many people perceive police culture as hostile. Further, their culture is full of influence and meant to instill reforms on individuals. They have even gone ahead to describe it as full of force suspicion, racial prejudice, without integrity and negative mindedness. According to the police professional ethics and ethos, culture simply means the sense making in ideas, knowledge, belief, behaviors, and rituals (Crank, 2004). The resentment to violence among the police during such conflicts of managing the criminals and troublemakers has a great deal or implication to the police cultural identity. The culture of the police has been studied exhaustively though overlooking some minor but essential isssues revolving around the police. For instance, the police uniform is part of their culture. Almost all social groups wear uniform. For example, during the time of Hitler, all the occupational groups were required to be uniformed to eliminate the undesirables in the country. Uniform is a special clothing one wears during roll playing and it demands respect to the wearer (Cordner, 2010). To the police, the uniform has solid implications of the importance of the person to the society. In addition, uniform has a masculine appeal to the police since it tends to appeal with epaulettes the insignia suggestion of the wearer. The number of buttons on the sleeves of the so-called suits of the police signifies the seniority or the superiority of the police on them. The police also have an unwritten rule that any police should never say out the misconducts or crimes of an ally police, commonly known as “the blue shield”. The police have endorsed a family or unity where every member is responsible over the other. As a result, they claim ignorance of the wrongdoing when enquired about a comrade’s crime would. Members of a police tribal system receive protection from each other. The police culture is endorsed into a new recruit in the very beginning of ones career at academies until one qualifies fully as police. In the process of learning the duties, new recruits will also learn the police culture as well as the values required to achieve the highest rank in the organization. These values directly transform to the so-called “blue shield” and produce a selective environment suitable for them. As a requirement, the police officers must be well informed of the rules like the threat of danger, public scrutiny, and loyalty. The number of cases where by a police reports a colleague minimal. This is because police do understand that things do happen in the heat of moment and consider keeping the information rather personal. Moreover, officers may fear or fail to report a crime against a fellow officer because it has been a police culture hence going against their culture. This would call for hefty consequences like losing friends and back up as well as receiving threats. Through structure and development, the police department has special local interactions programs. One may wonder the necessity of the many elements in police department that are similar, but it is good to know that police have clubs that give occasional presentations. Police culture is however subtle and clear enough in its mission of desire for action especially in the elimination of violence. Police officers should be accountable for the total happening of their fellow workmate (Patterson, 2007). On another note, police is part of the executive department in a police thus; they have the responsibility and authority to enforce and implement the law. Police do infringe the rights of the individuals in the execution of their duties by unlawful arrest and in traffic act implementation. Police like any other citizen are under the rule of law and thus expected to execute the duties following the constitutional policies (Cordner, 2010). Police has a certain code of behavior, which is in line with their experiences in the job. Their job directly influences the behavior of an officer in that the values and attitudes that an officer brings to the job directly translate their behavior. Arguably, male gender has dominated the police department for a long time and the same trend still prevails today. However, many states have lied down strategies to make the department culturally diverse. Globally, minorities have not been able to access the policing jobs and if they do, they are not exposed to equal treatment. For example, in the United States, an African police would not arrest a white offender, but would rather call a white police to arrest the offender. Though many females have ventured in the police force, the number still remains limited in the entire police department. Historically, female soldiers were restricted to work with juveniles, instead advised to handle family matters. It was not until 1968 when a research showed that a female officer was capable of doing any duty job as well as a male. After this research, the trend has changed tremendously. From the research, it was evident that a female police was less likely to use her firearm to harm innocent individuals and use it in violent confrontations because females are emotionally stable. These current researches have seen the end of discrimination of women and the minorities in the police department. Culturally, the police personnel have a hard task to play in the society. For instance, an officer has to deal with criminals, a tough routine such a police officer might encounter on a daily basis. The police career is different from other types of disciplines because of its personality and culture. The roles of the police are set to separate them from other members of the society. Assertively, the role police officers have segregate them from the society and their families as well. The cultural practices or the reasons as to why the police think and behave the way they do can be explained in three perspective under the cultural umbrella. Psychologists say that personality is not susceptible to change either because of occupation, but remains constant in ones entire life. Those who enter the police department have exceptionally same personality according to the psychologist’s findings. This sets the conclusion that those who enter the police profession have an authoritarian personality than other individuals (Gaines, 2007). This was clearly observed on the attitudes and the belief of the soldiers who blindly followed Hitler. They were all tough and submissive and tried to live up to image and ideology that were almost similar. The psychologist thus declared that an organization attracts certain identified people who have the personalities it wants. On the other hand, anthropologists believe that the behavior of a police officer is influenced by the culture that governs the job. Principles, believes, and values are transferred from one generation to another successively in the process explaining the acceptable and the unacceptable codes of conducts. The culturalization model allows that the study of people’s culture directly translates their personality and behavior. We thus can simply conclude that the police unique behavior is due to their culture. The culture of the police however changes with the surrounding and the basic composition of the particular department. For instance, the law can dictate the culture of an organization and define its social status and roles. Law articulates the rights, responsibilities, and the privileges of all the individuals in the society. The police have a special position as per the law. They are granted a monopoly legal power and are sanctioned to cause violence coerce other members of the society in order to accomplish their goals and control crime or maintain order. Because of their unique position, the police officers are set apart by the law and are thus distinct from other society members. The law shapes the perception of the police on events and situation by being a prism through which officers view events for evidence. Bravery is a social character that each police officer is supposed to own. There are dangers that come about during the law enforcement process and a police is prone to become a victim of the violence. Therefore, this calls for an officer to be very brave. Lastly, every organization has a culture that is very different from all others and what has actually worked successively in one organization does not work for another. Culture comprises of many factors like technology, and competition that are distinct in respect to the organization. In conclusion, police as an organization is thus bound to its cultural practices that dictate the behaviors of the police counterparts. Police areas have some kind of meaning to cops and every reformer seeks to change the ethics to their highest capability. However, it is clear that the cultural beliefs bind together the entire group and recognizes each member despite the position he or she holds. Police activities link together ways and their customary ways of doing things. In order to reform the efforts of police to bring more yields, the advocates must recognize the importance of culture. Reference Cordner, G. (2010). Police Administration. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Enjolras, B & Sivesind, K. (2009). Civil Society in Comparative Perspective. Wagon Lane Bingley: Emerald Group Publishing. Gaines, K. & Kappeler, V. (2011) Policing In America. Amsterdam: Elsevier. Patterson, D. (2007). Crime and Criminal Justice. New York: Ardent Media. Rosenau, W. (2005). US Internal Security Assistance to South Vietnam. Washington DC: Taylor & Francis. Read More