Police Subculture Term Paper

¶ … individuals join the police academy, they undergo rigorous training. This training teaches these individuals about many subjects such as criminal law, defensive tactics, and verbal judo amongst many others that the individuals may be required to apply during the course of the job. However, regardless of these teachings the professional culture influences the behaviors of these individuals separately creating a bias in the learning techniques. The police subculture is not taught as a curriculum, but adopted by the individuals. The police subculture impacts the behavior of the individuals in a powerful way. This means that studying this subculture makes it easy to understand the behavior of the members of the police force. Purpose Statement

This paper is the study of this subculture. It will briefly talk about the various characteristics of this subculture.

Argot

Communication is a very important dimension of this subculture. Officers rely heavily on communication as they are surrounded by critical situations where communication helps them align their strategy. Thus, police officers have developed an 'argot' 'understandable by them. Indecipherable statements like "He's in pocket" (used to ask whether suspect is in possession of narcotics), phonetic alphabets and codes are often used to steer safe of interpretation where civilians are involved. (Barry, 1999)

Esoteric knowledge

The training of the police officers in the squads involves teaching the officers the subjects on the curriculum (like marksmanship, investigative techniques,...

...

It is significant for the officers to learn the skills and knowledge before they can join a real squad. Thibault says that "the acquisition by initiatives of the body of esoteric knowledge and the appropriate behavior patterns before the novices are accepted by the initiated" is required by the officers. (Thibault, Lynch, McBride, Lynch, 2000; Barry, 1999)
Cynicism

Barry (1999) identifies Arthur Niederhoffer's work in connection to cynicism in the police. The author identifies various stages of cynicism a recruit goes through as he or she moves from the idealistic police role model to the realistic one on the streets. The first stage (pseudo-cynicism) is when the recruit trains for the job. The second stage (romantic cynicism) steps in during the initial five years of the police service, while the third stage (aggressive cynicism) take about 10 years to show. (Thibault, Lynch, McBride, Lynch, 2000; Barry, 1999)

Internal Sanctions

The police subculture gives officers the power to exert force on the civilians when it comes to criminal / legal matters. However, there are internal sanctions defined by the subculture which define the acceptable and unacceptable acts by the officers. For instance, officers using excessive force on the civilians are held accountable, which means that they are bound by sanctions / restrictions and investigations which keep the conduct of police inline. (Barry, 1999)

Solidarity

The police subculture requires the…

Sources Used in Documents:

Works Cited

Barry, Daniel Patrick. Handling Police Misconduct In an Ethical Way. December 1999. [Online] Available at http://www.unlv.edu/Colleges/Liberal_Arts/Ethics_and_Policy/barry.html

Thibault, Edward A. Lynch, Lawrence M.R. McBride, Bruce Lynch, Lawrence. Proactive Police Management. Prentice Hall. 11 August, 2000. Isbn: 0130225193


Cite this Document:

"Police Subculture" (2003, November 10) Retrieved April 20, 2024, from
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/police-subculture-157049

"Police Subculture" 10 November 2003. Web.20 April. 2024. <
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/police-subculture-157049>

"Police Subculture", 10 November 2003, Accessed.20 April. 2024,
https://www.paperdue.com/essay/police-subculture-157049

Related Documents
Policing Subculture
PAGES 3 WORDS 884

Police Subculture- Add on Response Nathan, I enjoyed reading your perspective and can relate to much of what you have expressed. Your explanation of the life cycle of a police career provided a clear and concise way of explaining this stressful aspects of law enforcement. I agree with your opinion on patience and its importance on keeping a balanced and clear mind while engaged in stressful policing activities. Your summary was

Police Subculture
PAGES 6 WORDS 2276

Police Subculture The set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour followed by the members of law enforcement constitutes what is referred to as police subculture. Owing to the nature of their job, most police officers tend to view members of the general public as potential suspects, untrustworthy and even potentially hostile. Police officers expect support from their colleagues. Consequently, the "us versus them" scenario is created; where "us" refers to the police

Communication between individuals on the force varies considerably. There is a strict hierarchy in the force, as most people are aware of, claims Officer Friendly. Thus, a person does not speak to their superiors the same way as to coworkers or subordinates. It is important to maintain this hierarchy because it helps the officers have a chain of command that includes respect for authority. Without authority, there would be too

As in many organizations, the common viewpoint among police officers and supervisors that referral to a mental health professional meant the loss of one's job. The perception prevented the victim from taking the proper action. The victim's superiors would attempt to help or protect him by denying the reality of his problem. As a result, the victim was denied the help he needed. These superiors were unduly concerned about

Police Culture
PAGES 3 WORDS 1006

Description Law enforcement has a distinct professional culture that is comprised of both formal and informal elements. Formal elements are ensconced in rules and regulations. For example, training, hours of work, how to fill out paperwork, and wearing a uniform according to an individual’s status in the organization are formal elements of the culture. Informal elements are unspoken, including norms of behavior and the jargon used between officers. For example, informal

Police Stress
PAGES 2 WORDS 770

Stress Before Referencing What are the primary points of this article or informational link? How could a forensic psychologist contribute to a positive outcome? What type of psychological instrument could be of assistance in resolving the problems noted in this article? Although the physical dangers of policing the community are well-documented on the evening news on almost a daily basis, the psychological difficulties police officers confront are often less publicized. Police officers,