Police misconduct categories and prevalence in law enforcement

Police Deviance and Integrity

In law enforcement, officers play an important role in determining how they are perceived by the public. This can have an impact on their ability to enforce different regulations and work with the community in reducing criminal activity. However, their overall amounts of authority and power can create situations where possible abuses will occur. This is problematic, as these practices will have a negative impact on the relationship that the police department will have with citizens. As they will lose faith in the ability of officers to objectively deal with issues and enforce the law. (Martin, 2013)

Evidence of this can be seen with observations from Martin (2013) who said, "Over the past few decades, great strides have occurred in the law enforcement profession. To begin with, many police agencies have avoided hiring candidates who have low ethical standards and have identified those onboard employees early in their careers who might compromise the department's integrity. In addition, research has discovered new methods of testing candidates for their psychological propensity to act ethically. However, unethical conduct by the nation's police officers continues to occur in departments large and small. Research into police corruption offers some understanding of the phenomenon in the hope of rooting out this behavior that serves to undermine the overall legitimacy of law enforcement." (Martin, 2013)

This is illustrating the challenges that all police departments are facing when it comes to deviance and integrity. To fully understand what is taking place requires conducting an in depth review of the problem and introducing possible solutions. Together, these elements will highlight the scope of the challenges and how to address them over the long-term.

An In Depth Review of the Problem

The issue of police misconduct is a major problem that will impact the ability to law enforcement to address a host of difficulties. According to a study conducted by Injustice Everywhere, they determined that 1 out of every 116 officers is involved with some type of on the job transgressions. Out of this number, they divided these violations into a variety of categories. The below table is illustrating the percentages of unethical and illegal activities that are occurring by police officers. ("National Police Misconduct Statistics," 2009)

Frequency of Misconduct by Law Enforcement

Category

Percentage

Brutality

21.3%

Sexual Misconduct

13.0%

Fraud / Theft

9.8%

Shootings

5.8%

Assaults

5.6%

4.1%

Illegal Raids

3.5%

Drugs

3.2%

Wrongful Arrests

3.1%

Perjury

2.6%

Civil Rights

2.1%

("National Police Misconduct Statistics," 2009)

These figures are showing how there is a host of unethical activities taking place among police officers. This is troubling, as the kinds of incidents will have a negative impact on the way they interact with the general public and their ability to build trust within the community. ("National Police Misconduct Statistics," 2009)

Moreover, Orwell (n.d.) determined that law enforcement has a unique role they are playing in enforcing the law and building confidence among the general public. A good example of this can be seen with him saying, "Police are only gatekeepers to the vast apparatus which is the criminal justice system, but they are, for many people, the sole, full-time representative or symbol of the law's purpose in society (which is justice). They are the preeminent symbol of 'the establishment,' or 'the man.' They are expected to remain insulated or isolated from politics and fashion, yet still display the commonsense reasonableness of the common man. Nobody's perfect, but the police are held to a higher standard of competence. They not only have to be efficient but effective also. They must reinforce legality as well as legitimacy. This means that they must not only uphold resilient standards (like probable cause, due process, and good faith) but additionally do their duty to exercise good judgment (show fairness and equity in particular cases when the circumstances demand it). Police accountability is all about this duty being conditional, i.e., always on loan. Police are judged on the basis of this kind of justice, not the kind which simply measures how many arrests are made and/or if the crime rate drops. Their ethics must reflect social justice more than criminal justice." (Orwell, n.d.)

This is illustrating how law enforcement has to maintain a delicate balance in enforcing the law and protecting the interests of the community. At the heart of the issue, is the integrity of the officers and their ability to avoid becoming involved in various deviances. When this happens, they are more responsive to public emergencies. It is at this point that there will be greater amounts of trust and support for the actions taken by law enforcement officials. (Orwell, n.d.)

Furthermore, many of the practices used by law enforcement are criticized. This is because they utilize tools such as racial profiling to determine if someone is involved in criminal activities. In general, this has proven to be a controversial tactic. For instance, the Long (2009) concluded that, "Police in major U.S. cities stop and question more than a million people each year -- a sharply higher number than just a few years ago. Most are black and Hispanic men. Many are frisked, and (nearly all are innocent of any crime, emphasis mine), according to figures gathered by The Associated Press. Civil liberties groups say the practice is racist and fails to deter crime. Police departments maintain it is a necessary tool that turns up illegal weapons and drugs and prevents more serious crime. Police records indicate that officers are drawn to suspicious behavior: furtive movements, actions that indicate someone may be serving as a lookout, anything that suggests a drug deal, or a person carrying burglary tools such as a slim-jim or pry bar." (Long, 2009)

This is illustrating that the tactics used by law enforcement can outrage select segments of the population (i.e. minorities). Yet, at the same time, watching the actions and individual mannerism will help officials to decide if someone is acting suspicious (i.e. profiling). This has created controversy about these practices and the way they are applied in the real world. Over the course of time, the use of these techniques and potential abuses are making the situation worse. When this happens, the public will begin to question the actions taken by law enforcement and the tools they are using to protect the public. (Long, 2009)

Conclusion

Clearly, police deviance and integrity are major issues that every department must deal with. This is because there are times when officers will be forced to engage in actions that may infringe upon the rights of the individual (in order to protect the general public). The problem is these tactics will often be utilized in variety of situations. This is when the odds increase that potential abuses will occur.

To prevent this from happening requires enacting a code of ethics and establishing an Internal Affairs division. They will report directly to an oversight committee, who has the power to investigate and sanction officers that violate these provisions. When this takes place, the underlying amounts of deviance will decrease by having effective procedures for guiding officers and punishing them for violating these provisions.