How Is Bad Behavior Dealt?

Internal Disciplinary Practices

How bad behavior is dealt with Critique the criticism of internal disciplinary practices. Discuss which criticism seems illogical and why? Building on this, discuss the external methods of police accountability and consider which monitoring strategy seems the most reliable and why.

Because of the internal culture of the police department, it is argued that effective self-regulation and discipline is very challenging, because police officers will always sympathize with fellow officers. Issues pertaining to police misconduct are rarely clear-cut, and the natural impetus is to give the officer, rather than the civilian, the benefit of the doubt. Officers know the tremendous strain involved in police work, and are inclined to give fellow officers some leeway so they are able to be as safe as possible when enforcing the law.

Having external internal affairs departments that are separate from the rest of the police force is one way to combat the 'blue wall of silence,' although these investigative officers are often subjected to the same training as the persons they are investigating. Achieving emotional distance can be an obstacle to enforcement of ethical guidelines. Some internal affairs departments may report to a separate chief or to a civilian review commission to increase objectivity. The civilian review board is supposed to provide a different, non-institutionalized perspective to police ethics. However, some officers argue that this is unfair. They say persons without police experience cannot fully appreciate what officers go through when their lives are on the line, or the stresses of the job, when evaluating complaints of excessive force. And regarding more straightforward corruption cases, such as illegally profiting off of stolen evidence seized in drug or other crimes, officers argue that such corrupt members of the force are neither respected nor tolerated because they break both the law and police officer's ethical codes.

The life of an internal investigations officer can be lonely. They may often feel ostracized if they are too harsh on their fellow officers. However, without appropriate disciplinary practices, respect for the force in the eyes of the public will be diminished. The public will not trust the police if they feel that legitimate complaints are not honored. Although it may not be immediately apparent, all police officers have an interest in ensuring that violations of the law by their fellow officers are investigated and punished in an appropriate manner. The public expects officers to hold themselves to a higher standard, not above the law.

Civilian review boards ensure that the public has a 'voice' in how law enforcement is governed, and law enforcement is ultimately supposed to serve and protect the public, not just its own interests. Review boards should have experience with the processes and needs of policing, even if they are not actually members of the force. However, simply having external review boards is not enough to deter unethical practices in the everyday workings of the force. From the first day at police academies, recruits should understand that it is just as unacceptable to turn a blind eye to ethical misconduct by fellow officers as it is to not support them during legitimate uses of force. Recruits should be introduced to 'case studies' which demonstrate different scenarios where force was used ethically and unethically.