Unethical police operations and institutional accountability

Unethical Police Operations

Over the last several years, the issue of police corruption, misconduct and brutality has been increasingly brought to the forefront. According to the Cato Institute, this accounted for 3,240 cases nationwide. This is because of improved oversight, technology and a focus on dealing with these lingering challenges. To fully understand what is happening there will be an emphasis on its extent, two recent cases and their outcomes. Together, these elements will highlight the overall scope of the problem. ("2010 NPMSRP," 2010)

Describe the extent of police corruption, misconduct, and brutality in the United States.

has lower amounts of police corruption, misconduct and brutality in contrast with other countries. This is because there are procedures in place to investigate and prosecute those who are involved in wrongdoing. According to Johnson (2007), there has been a 25% increase in the number of cases. This is because many departments are understaffed and have lowered their standards to address these issues. (Johnson, 2007)

Research two current cases within the last 10 years: one case on police corruption and misconduct and one case on police brutality.

The first incident involved with police corruption and misconduct took place in New York City. What happened, is 8 current and former police officers were charged with gun as well as cigarette trafficking. This is the result of a two-year sting operation that was led by the FBI. (Rashbaum, 2011) a second case took place in 2005, when an officer was charged with pistol whipping a suspect in Elizabeth, New Jersey. This followed an investigation by their Internal Affairs Division (which determined that the incident did not happen). (Terruso, 2011)

Describe the details of the cases.

The case involving the New York City police officers occurred following a two-year federal investigation. What happened is several current and former police officers were a part of a ring to sell M-16 and M-4 rifles to various buyers (who were working with federal officials). They were also a part of a group that was helping to steal cigarettes and sell them on the black market in other states. (Rashbaum, 2011)

In the case of Elizabeth, New Jersey a suspect was pulled over for running a red light. He fled and was caught. After he was apprehended is when he was hit in the head with the officer's pistol (fracturing his skull and leaving pieces of it logged in the brain). The charges were quietly dropped against the suspect and an Internal Affairs investigation cleared them of all wrong doing. (Terruso, 2011)

Explain the outcomes of the cases. Did you agree with the outcomes? Why or why not?

The situation involving the New York City police officers is still in the court system. So far I agree with the outcome. This is because they were deliberately breaking the law by selling automatic weapons to criminal elements. Moreover, they were also working with organized crime to sell cigarettes that were stolen from the police evidence room. This can erode the confidence of the general public in the department's ability to objectively enforce the law. When this happens, it will affect investigations and their outcomes. As a result, they had to be stopped before the situation became worse. (Rashbaum, 2011)