police culture

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 cultural norms are what have a direct bearing on “how to go about their tasks, how hard to work, what kinds of relationships to have with their fellow officers and other categories of people with whom they interact, and how they should feel about police administrators,” (“The Police Culture,” p. 98). Both formal and informal culture impacts productivity, identity, and performance.

One of the defining features of a culture is language. In the professional sectors, jargon and the terminology used during the course of a day on the job will be unique to the police culture. There are several layers of language in police culture, including the formal language used to refer to cases or emergency codes used for the dispatcher or when speaking between officers. Likewise, there are formal written languages used when filling out reports. Informal language is also crucial for maintaining police culture. The informal language will vary from department to department but can include frequent references to the “blue fraternity,” and also the “blue wall of silence” that prevents officers from whistleblowing even when they witness bad behavior by their colleagues (“The Police Culture and Work Stress,” n.d., p. 177). Bad police behavior can have fatal consequences. Although there are formal regulations guiding police behavior, the informal rules of officer culture will often override the formal rules.

A professional culture is defined as “the set of assumptions, beliefs, expectations, and philosophy that governs the professional’s interactions, performance, and role,” (“The Police Culture and Work Stress,” n.d.). Although each police department will be different, generally the attitudes and beliefs of police are antagonistic and based on the assumption that “people cannot be trusted; they are dangerous,” (Nhan, 2014, p. 1). Other negative attitudes or beliefs that have been attributed to police culture include cynicism, suspicion, authoritarianism, biases, prejudices, and conservatism (McCartney & Parent, 2012, 8.1). There is also a “perception that officers are the lone force that stands between good citizens and those who threaten the social order,” (Nhan, 2014, p. 1). However, there are also pervasive positive attitudes and beliefs in police culture. Those attitudes include loyalty to one another, teamwork, sacrifice, support, and camaraderie (McCartney & Parent, 2018, 8.1). The types of attitudes and beliefs that proliferate in any one police subculture will be heavily influenced by leadership within that organization (“The Police Culture and Work Stress,” n.d.).

Police culture is characterized by values like social order and interests in preventing and stopping crime. Police value teamwork above all, and “as members of the team, they feel a good deal of pressure to live up to the expectations of other team members and to support the practice of secrecy,” (“The Police Culture and Work Stress,” n.d., p. 181). Police will often violate the rules of the department and expect their colleagues to remain quiet: the “blue wall of silence.” A hierarchical organization enables separation between officers and their superiors, who may also be viewed as untrustworthy ( (“The Police Culture and Work Stress,” n.d). Police officers have a vested interest in protecting each other from danger and also from incrimination.

Culture also encompasses the period of training and initiation: the time it takes to receive education and licensing, what kind of education and training programs are mandatory in order to become a professional in the field, and how to continually update one’s professional credentials. Within the law enforcement field, there are no national standards for professional training, education, and development. This has led to tremendous disparities between states and a lack of consistency in police cultures throughout the country. Still, there are some features of police culture that remain relatively constant across multiple jurisdictions.
One disturbing analysis of police organizations around the United States showed that officers of the law receive less formal training than beauticians and barbers. In North Carolina, California, Florida, and several other states, police officers receive a third of the education and training required of professional cosmetologists, interior designers and other fields that do not involve life or death scenarios, how to use a weapon, and how to protect public safety (Yan & Mier, 2016).

Police officers rely on tools and equipment to define their culture as much as to get the job done. For example, police officers visibly stand apart from the rest of society because of their uniforms, which could reinforce the “us versus them” mentality that pervades police subculture (Nhan, 2014, p. 1). The uniform is essential for helping members of the general public identify police officers, but also enforce the boundaries between police and ordinary citizens. Police officers use equipment like weapons and are licensed to use force when it is deemed necessary. Moreover, police operate vehicles and use hardware and software for communications, background checks, and data analysis.