1. Running head: POLICE CULTURE AND CODE OF SILENCE 1
Police, Organizational Culture, and “The Code of Silence”
Dawn M Gibson- IP1
Advanced review of CJ- Dr. Roger Bonner
Colorado Technical University

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Abstract
Historically, police executives have sought to distance themselves from police misconduct as a
form of political survival. Rather than addressing the true causes, they seek quick fixes. Quick
fixes serve as a catalyst for police misconduct and encourage only a narrow investigative focus,
as opposed to exploring systemic problems. As the supervisor of the internal affairs division
within your police department, the chief has charged you with the responsibility of reviewing the
department's procedures regarding the investigation, determination, and recommended strategies
that are related to officer misconduct.

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Major challenges facing police executives in the 21st century
There are many challenges facing police executives in the twenty first century. Financial
pressures, frontline officers involved in the biggest police operations, such as drugs and violence
and budget cuts. Undercover officers may become accustomed to temptations of the crime life
while under cover, they may have become involved in situations that may catch them in the
middle. (BBC, 2010).
The twenty first challenges are environmental, social, and economical these include:
Water security
Energy/water
Migration
Population
Climate change

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Substainabilty
Geoenginering
Over fishing
Plastic pollution
Deforestation
Biodiversity
Economical growth
Manufacturing
Education
Gender equality
Air polluting
Globalization/geopolitics
Health (Global)
Poverty
Natural Hazards
Flood risk

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Food security
Low Carbon Energy-windmills birds these are just a few of the challenges facing policing in the
21st century. (2010)
According to Murray, In Australia, organizational police have their advantages and
disadvantages these would include:
Advantages:
Unlimited information/resources
Sharing knowledge (the success and failures)
Disadvantages:
More complexed
Identifying challenges:
They may act on challenges
Adjusting
Reorganization
New strategies
-new plans or rough drafts

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Changes and challenges may occur using all available resources and input (Murray, 2000).
Code of silence
Police faces many challenges, which includes bribery, undercover, which would include the
“Code of silence”, “protect the brotherhood”, which is a part of the organizational culture of the
law. According to Neal Trautman’s article, “Police code of silence” The National ethics institute
did a research study which included 3,174 officers and academy recruits from 42 different states.
One study of the research questioned views of the academy recruits, the other identified offices
that used the code, and question how often and why they used it? (Trautman, 2000)
Facts of recruits found 79% stated its does exists and is common 52% stated they were not
concern about the code. The study used 25 basic LE academies in 16 states. The facts on officers
73% leaders often used pressure or force to keep the code of silence. They feared if they told, or
were bribed to keep the silence (Trautman, 2000).
Many people feel that it is a moot point. Research suggests more research needs to be done.
They suggest reconstructive where principle (moral Values) comes before loyalty to follow
officers. To ask officers to commit to integrity, agree to background checks, take ethics training,
and administration to hold everyone accountable with no exceptions, supply employee assistance
(Carter, 2011).
Culture is consistent, driven by incentives, collaboration of individuals, that define what
culture should be and organize issues based on how they feel is right or wrong. This is seen in
history, nothing new but it affects all culture and peoples way of living. What we should do,
believe and act like. It does not mean that this is right or wrong.

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Advantages are those cultures who discriminate or are inhuman in the treatment of others,
should be accountable. Disadvantages are those who refuse to go along like sheep lead to
slaughter, maybe punished, for speaking their own language, following religions of their own
(Watkins, 2013).
Organized Culture
Organized culture is pretty much the same. The leaders may be involved with a criminal
activity such as vigilantes, and feel because they are seeking justice that it is ok. This would
bring in people they trust anyone who breaks their code of silence would be threatened or even
killed. For years this has been an issue, as corruption can be anywhere within units. The fact that
many officers may be undercover may throw them into the biggest temptations as they have to
live for quite some time under cover. This would be a hard issue to overcome and will never be
completely eradicated. The only things would be too reorganized and be sure to make officers
accountable and not give them excuses for things that do wrong. They know from education or
academies what is acceptable and what is not. The reward should be to allow those who speak
out when they know about issues that are shady, and make sure they are protected. There needs
to be much more studies done and organizations to slow down the corruption or “code of
silence” attitude.

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References
Carter, P.P. (2011) Making the case for more police accountability. Cop Block.org. Liberty Web
Alliance. Retrieved from http://www.copblock.org/1595/making-the-case-for-more-
police-accountability/
Murray, T. (2000). Police and the challenges of the 21st century: managing change in police
organization. AFP. Retrieved from http://www.afp.gov.au/media-
centre/publications/platypus/previous-editions/2000/september-2000/2-21century.aspx
Real Police. (2015) Code of Silence. Law enforcement resources. Retrieved from
http://www.realpolice.net/articles/police-stress/code-of-silence.html
Shaw. E. (2014) How do we improve open data for police accountability. Sunlight Foundation.
Retrieved from http://sunlightfoundation.com/blog/2014/12/05/how-do-we-improve-
open-data-for-police-accountability/
Trautman, N. (2000) Police code of silence facts revealed. The National Institute of Ethics.
Retrieved from http://www.aele.org/loscode2000.html
Walker, S. (2007) Police Accountability: Current issues and research needs. National Institute of
Justice. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/218583.pdf
Watkins, M. (2013). What is organizational culture? And why should we care? Harvard Business
Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2013/05/what-is-organizational-culture/

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