Corruption In Policing

Police corruption will continue to make the front page of the newspapers and be the top story on television. “They draw public attention and sell the newspapers”(Ivkovic, 2003). Corruption exists in every police department in the world. While most cops are working to “protect and serve”, other cops are working to get away with criminal activity. “Police officers have been involved in perjury, fabricating evidence, protecting pederast rings, taking drug money, and selling drugs”(Miller, 1999). Corruption in policing has existed for many years and will continue to exist. “Police corruption is loosely identified in the literature as deviant, dishonest, improper, unethical, or criminal behavior by a police officer”(Barker; Roebuck, 1974).

Informal and formal rules may contradict one another. Not all corruption is seen as deviant behavior. Some types are accepted while others are frowned upon. It all varies on the corruptors and the corrupted individuals who are involved. The fact that cops have so much power makes it easy for them to become corrupt. “Police officers are exposed to an extraordinarily high level of temptation in areas such as the investigation of drug-trafficking and gambling”(Ivkovic, 2003). “They have daily encounters with criminals who try to bribe them and corrupt them for life. Most cops join the force for the noble cause, but some are vulnerable enough to get taken into the criminal underworld. Officers are exposed to some of the worst people in society which leaves them very vulnerable to

“Support and degree of support that corrupt acts receive from the peer group vary: from act to act, with the identity of the violator and the corruptor, informal peer group norms, and the situational context of the violation”(Barker; Roebuck, 1974). Many types of police corruption are accepted and rarely considered deviant. Each act of corruption is different in different departments. The police department's reaction varies, depending on several things. It depends on the corruptor, corrupted, type of corruption, violation, informal organizational policy, and public disclosure of the corruption