Police Corruption In The 1920's

According to Transparency International, corruption is defined as “the abuse of entrusted power for private gain.” The different types of corruption are: grand, petty and political.

Grand corruption is made up of acts that are committed at a high level of government and that twist policies or the central functioning of the state, allowing leaders to benefit at the expense of the public good. Petty corruption is the everyday abuse to citizens by low and mid-level public officials who often try to access basic goods or services in places like hospitals, schools, police departments and other agencies. On the other hand, political corruption is a manipulation of policies, institutions and rules of procedure in the allocation of resources and financing

Back then, political parties ran the municipal government and agencies. Employment was guaranteed if you followed the instructions of the political parties which often required protecting illegal activities. This setting of accepted corruption later drove to practices that benefited officers or their departments in monetarily ways. Officers accepted bribes to overlook criminal activities like prostitution and asked for money in exchange of not reporting criminals like pickpockets. Reform efforts began towards the end of the 19th century when upper-middle class educated Protestants who were against the political control of police agencies, influenced the establishment of police commissions, the use of civil service exams and legislative reforms.

During the 1920’s, huge amounts of money were being made by bootleggers who in turn paid off police officers to allow their illegal activities to continue. The civil rights movements of the 1960’s and 1970’s were harmed by police misconduct. Many violations of the constitutional rights of individuals occurred and racial injustices were committed. The Kerner Commission suggested many reforms in 1965, but despite the implementation of many of the reforms there was no long-term reduction of