Essay On Police Corruption

Police Corruption Paper
In this article, the author conducts a research where he observes and studies the degree of similarity
between police officers from different countries on how serious do they rate police misconduct and
corruption. The purpose was to establish a connection between the views of the police officers on
misconduct across the different countries regardless of the contrasting circumstances like that of
each individual culture, environment and agency. The author surveyed officers from line officers to
supervisors from Finland, Croatia and United States and and evaluated the responses from the line
officer in comparison to supervisors. The police officers were given each ten scenarios describing
police corruption and one scenario describing the use of excessive force. They were all...show more
content...
The U.S. State and Local Law Enforcement Agencies Census of 2008 reported that there is 17,985
state and local law enforcement agencies in the United States. While we have one of the largest
criminal justice system, it most definitely comes with much corruption. In the text that we are
reading in class, complex internal constituency prompted a high curiosity on just how much
corruption is there. The Criminal Justice System has very strict policies but nothing is more true
than to say that within that organization is a bigger gang. Through this study, I realized that
although governmental policies, cultural and politics are unlike in different places and countries
there is a profound similarity on the ethics of criminal justice. We all have a specific
acknowledgment on what behavior is acceptable and what is not in the PD, more so and even more
important is how these polices are represented by administrators. Having a clear understanding and
following of those rules and regulations, is one of the most important forms of communication for a
successful
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Essay on Police Corruption: Crooked Cops
"Democracy must be built through open societies that share information. When there is information,
there is enlightenment. When there is debate, there are solutions. When there is no sharing of
power, no rule of law, no accountability, there is abuse, corruption, subjugation and indignation."
– Atifete Jahjaga ––
They are the everyday heroes that many people often take for granted until a pivotal moment of
tragedy or madness enters into their lives. While we sleep in our warm beds at night police officers
work around the clock during all times of the night to ensure the safety and security of our
communities and its citizens both young and old (Aveni, Thomas J.). However, what happens when
our everyday heroes are found...show more content...
Shortly afterwards a second police car came up and a five day uproar resulted in the lives of 34
people, nearly 1000 wounded people, and over 200 million dollars in property damage (Los Angeles
Watts Riots of 1965).
After the disgracing actions of his partner, Officer Hanson, the "good cop" requests a change in
partners, a commendable act on his part. However, the actions of his African American overseer
Lieutenant Dixon, to whom Hanson consulted about his request, were disturbing. Lieutenant
Dixon"s overall personae, while disagreeable for a man in his position, as a black man and an
authority figure, shows the viewers from whom Officer Ryan"s preconceived judgments may have
derived. While the numbers have increased over the years, the statistics and demographics of the
number of black officers on the Los Angeles Police Department, LAPD, and other such precincts
have not been many in comparison to the number of white law officers (Hutchinson, Earl Ofari).
Officer Ryan makes a statement about how his father hired and worked alongside black people in
a time when it was almost unheard of for a white man to do such an act (Crash). After being raised
upon this notion from his father"s work experience and training for seventeen years under
Lieutenant Dixon, one could certainly perceive Officer Ryan"s distaste towards people in a higher
position than he was, especially those

Police Corruption
The relationship between a police department and the community is an ideal that has become very
prominent in recent years. Cultivating trust between the two sides is not something that comes
easily, and its something that can be broken in one negative interaction. For police to effectively and
adequately do their job, the public must believe that they will police in a respectful and fair manner.
The aim of this paper is to examine the detrimental actions taken by the police officers of the New
York Police Department in the '60s and '70s that caused the public to lose faith in their police
department, and to analyze the backlash it had on all the police departments across America. New
York City in the 1960s was a hotbed for police corruption. It could easily be labeled as a systemic
problem. It was so extensive that it ran all the way up to the Police Commissioner's Office and
incorporated government officials. This level of corruption would eventually culminate in the
creation of The Commission to Investigate Alleged Police Corruption, more commonly called The
Knapp Commission. It was a five–member panel created by New York City Major John V. Lindsay
and headed by Chairman Whitman Knapp. This panel was a response to a series of damning
New York Times articles and to the massive influx of civilian complaints. The newspaper article
had such disastrous, and accurate, information because the papers sources were two police
officers, who wanted to remained anonymous for the time being. The panel was tasked to
investigate corrupt activities of the police officers, detectives, and supervisors working in the
NYPD. The two anonymous policemen, Frank Serpico and David Durk, were invaluable with the
information they provided to the New York Times. Serpico and Durk were upset at the sheer
amount of brazen illegal activities they saw being perpetrated by other police officers. They were
shocked with the amount of corruption that went on on a daily basis, but even more so disgusted by
the lack of action taken by the District Attorney after they both filed numerous complaints. It was
only after the New York Times article became public that any real action was taken. And that,
presumably, was only because of the massive

Police Corruption Effects
study conducted by researchers at the Institute for the Rule of Law from 2002–2006. The researchers
noticed a sharp rise in economic crimes and a large deficient between the amounts of economic
criminal cases initiated and amounts of cases sent to court. They found that in those years,
40%–60% of economic criminal cases went unresolved. In the cases that were solved, 60%–80% of
them were never brought to court. Of the cases that were brought to court, 20%–30% fell apart. The
researchers concluded that law enforcement officials were less inclined to punish economic
criminals because it would have impacted their shadow economy earnings.
The Effect of Police Corruption on the Public
Police corruption can have a detrimental effect on the way the public views law enforcement.
IvkoviД‡ (2003) discussed a survey that asked American citizens how they would rate police
officers in terms of honesty. The survey, which has been conducted frequently over the past two
decades, found that 40%–50% of all respondents believed...show more content...
In 2008, a survey of 45,000 victimized individuals found that only 22% of crimes were reported to
authorities. Similar results were found in 2004 and 2007 with only 23% and 21% of crimes being
reported in those respective years. Sabet (2013) mentions that interviews with civil society and
government officials echoed these findings. These officials said that victims of crime feared
retaliation from criminals or corrupt police officers if they were to come forward with information
of a crime. Sabet (2013) conducted a survey of Mexicans who lived in 14 major cities. Sabet asked
the participants if they had information related to police corruption by their local law enforcement
and if they were satisfied with the performance of their local law enforcement. If they did have
information, they were asked a series of questions related to the corruption. The results showed that

Police Corruption and Misconduct Essay
Police corruption and misconduct come apparent in many different forms. A basic definition for
police corruption is, when an officer gets involved in offenses where the officer uses his or her
position, by act or omission, to obtain improper financial benefit. The main reason for such
corruption is typically for personal gain, such as bribery. Police abuse of authority occurs in three
different general areas such as physical abuse, psychological abuse, and legal abuse. Physical abuse
is such abuse where one uses excessive force or physical harassment. The psychological abuse occurs
through disrespect, harassment, ridicule, excessive stops, or intimidation. Finally, legal abuse is
abuse that occurs during unlawful search and seizure...show more content...
This could occur if an officer sees an off duty police officer who is drunk driving, but does not take
action in pulling them over and arrest them for their conduct. If he does, the streets are that much
safer, but if he doesn't and the driver goes off and kills a person, that would make a bad use of
selective enforcement (Lyman 2005). Many officers use alcohol and drugs while on duty. Although
this commonly occurs in undercover agents, it can happen with even your regular patrol officers.
This type of misconduct occurs because there is typically a lack of supervision, a massive
availability of contraband, and an exposure to the criminal element. Graft on the other hand, is
when the officer exploits their role by accepting bribes or money protection (Pollock, 2012). Such
conduct occurs when officers use their uniformed authority to create a personal supply of money
(Lyman 2005). Sexual misconduct occurs when officers use their authority as a way to receive
sexual acts from citizens of society. This happens mainly with male officers towards female citizens.
This type of misconduct also occurs within the department, mainly through sexual harassment of
female officers. The final component of corruption and misconduct is that of criminal cops. These
officers have basically switched to criminal activity in their day to day tasks (Pollock, 2012).
A perfect example of this happened in the movie Street Kings that we watched as a class

Essay about The Problem of Police Corruption
Police corruption is legally, morally, and ethically wrong. The art of corruption has existed from the
beginning of policing to the present day. Investigations have uncovered several acts of dishonesty
and crime ranging from petty theft to murder. To help combat corruption the government creates
commissions such as the Knapp and Wickersham Commission to investigate allegations of
corruption. If acts of corruption are found and substantiated the commission takes criminal action
against the law enforcement officer. As allegations persist, one may ask: 1. What isPolice
Corruption? 2. What is the Corruption Continuum? 3. Is there a Code of Silence? 4. What is done to
help prevent corruption? 5. What are...show more content...
There are two general forms of corruption: external and internal. External corruption occurs when
an outside agency or person pays an officer to overlook or perform illegal acts themselves. The
Mafia is probably the best known organized crime faction. Investigations have shown the Mafia
paid officers, politicians, judges, and numerous other agencies to elude conviction. Internal
corruption happens when an officers acts on his or her own accord to commit crimes or illegal
acts themselves. A classic example of corruption involves the bribery of an officer in order to
secure the exemption from punishment. There is a broad range of corruption ranging from petty
brides to organized crime paying millions of dollars to protect their gambling, prostitution, and
drug networks. William Ernest and Richard Ford are prime examples of internal corruption. These
officers were willing to go out and seek illegal activities and served as hired assassins in Los Angeles
(Newton, 2007).
What is the Corruption Continuum? The Corruption Continuum is used to illustrate the transition
from good cop to bad cop. Once an officer makes the decision to accept gratuities and or gifts it
puts them on the "slippery slope" of corruption. If an officer chooses to compromise his or her
integrity, it is near impossible for the officer to regain their honor. Many scholars and practitioners
become

Police And Police Corruption
Corruption in the justice system can take place at any time beginning with a criminal investigation
or when a lawsuit is filed down to the courts decisions. Corruption often occurs at stages where the
public cannot see it. Much of the corruption in the justice system is not easy to expose or prove
(Pepys, 2003).
Police corruption are actions that exploit their powers as low enforcement officers (Williams &
Arrigo, 2012). Police corruption can and has caused much of the public to lose confidence in law
enforcement. When police are corrupt, it impacts society more than corruption of other government
agencies because of their role as the gatekeeper of the justice system and authority (Lee, Lim,
Moore, & Kim, 2013). Police have a wide range of discretionary powers that often goes unchecked.
Much of their corruption can be found in areas such as report filing or in their investigations (Pepys,
2003.)
In a 1983 Reus–Ianni's two–year study of NYPD officers found that there was a difference in the
behavior of management police officers and patrol officers' misconduct (Lee, Lim, Moore, & Kim,
2013). The patrol officer was more likely to be involved in police corruption and were found to
perceive police corruption less seriously (Lee, Lim, Moore, & Kim, 2013).
The 'slippery slope' theory of first accepting gratuities will often turn into serous corruption, is one
idea of how police began their descent into corruption (Lee, Lim, Moore, & Kim, 2013). Tolerating

Essay On Police Corruption
There are strong willed efforts to create and maintain a high a performing police agency in the US.
However, that many people forget is that the police are human, and are working within a human built
system. The law enforcement is something civilization will continuously need. Nevertheless, there is
still a need to question and recreate the leadership models administered within the bounds of
managing police officers. For an organization or team to sustain long–term success, ethical integrity
must involve being trustful, meeting obligations, and being respectful.
In a police force, your prime responsibility as a soldier is to finish the task efficiently and as a
detective or chief it is to complete the task at hand better than anyone else. Honesty is where it
starts and your ability to follow up on that will improve the morale and cohesion within your
respective unit. Few police officers are just trying to protect and serve, yet there are widespread
problems across the law enforcement culture, and many existing problems that distress the work
police do. The main problem within the justice system is police corruption. The police corruption is
a complex phenomenon that has been around for a while, which does not enthusiastically submit to
simple analysis. The police corruption affects us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement
officers. Since the beginnings, many aspects of policing have transformed; however, one trait that
has continued relatively gone unchanged is

Corruption, the one thing many individuals fear when it comes to their local law enforcement. The
crime and dishonesty from those who are supposed to serve and protect us has been around for many
years, but has been a very mind puzzling, difficult, and sensitive issue to approach. The dishonesty
and fraudulent activities done by those in charge are the ones that support and organize many crimes
throughout the United States.
There are many debates and research that is put into the topic of corruption, also known as "organized
crime". To clarify whatpolice corruption is, it is the misconduct in which these sworn officials
break their "contract" also known as their oath for personal gains and departmental perks. One or
more officers can be involved. There are many opinions and voices to be heard from a wide variety
of people whether it's from local communities, politicians, and even those from news and social
media sites....show more content...
What's happening now actually raises the crime rates all over the country and other countries are
actual proof of what's to come if nothing is to be done within the next few years.
Corruption and its effects on crime rates can be a very debatable topic to many individuals, but in
reality there are many factors that support its belief. Many don't realize the seriousness and
influences the can be brought up when a law enforcement official steps into the world of crime.
There are many that argue that the act of corruption has no negative impacts to the current

How Does Corruption Affect Policing
One of the issues that are affecting the future of policing is corruption. Corruption is generally
defined as fraudulent and dishonest actions by public officials with power. This is the same for law
enforcement as their corruption is an abuse of their authority for private gain while under duty. This
improper conduct usually begins as police deviance. Law enforcement officers with such behaviors
are not socially accepted yet has led other officers, especially rookies, into engaging in criminal
activities.
Corruption and police deviance are one of the oldest persisting problems that has faced policing
agencies since the American Colonial Era and continues in today's society. Corruption within law
enforcement itself takes on many different types. The lower offense types involve officers
accepting gratuities such as free or discounted meals and services from local businesses and
accepting bribes. Even at the lower levels of corruption the police deviance prove to be...show more
content...
More often than not most law enforcement agencies have those 'few rotten apples' in their mist.
These individual officers with corrupt behaviors hardly make up the 1% of any organization and
usually are on the down–low; though has been proven to cooperate with other 'rotten apples'.
However, thanks to the media exposing the wrong–doings by these bad cops, this 1% group has been
published to represent law enforcement as a whole, giving the 99% a bad image to the public. It's
even worse when other departments experience systematic corruption that spreads through the entire
organization. It's worrisome that the exact cause of this form of corruption can't be pin pointed but I
believe it all evolves from those bad cops buying promotions into higher ranks. A rotten relationship
has to be born within that police organization in order to continuously spread without being snuffed
out and properly taken care

Reduce Police Corruption
I will be listing and describing ways on how to control and reduce police corruption (Bohm &
Haley, 2012). Some of the ways I will list and describe will be high moral standards, police
policies and discipline, proactive internal affairs, uniform enforcement of the law, outside review
and special prosecutor, and court review and oversight. List and describe some of the ways to
control and reduce police corruption. The first way to control corruption is by having high moral
standards (Bohm & Haley, 2012). By employing officers with high morals with an in–depth academy
and in–service training which teaches ethics will help the officers in compromising positions in their
career.
The second way to control corruption is by having police policies and...show more content...
This is where your department enforces the law equally regardless of a group or citizen's
affiliation. This will reduce the offerings of bribes or other forms of corruption. What helps with
this control is clear policies and procedures with proper discipline.
The fifth way to control corruption is by outside review and special prosecutor (Bohm & Haley,
2012). Most leadership and labor associations usually resist any kind of outside reviews but they
have shown improvements of agencies they have investigated. The special prosecution is brought in
for serious cases to relieve the agency and government from any improper accusations.
The sixth way to control corruption is by court review and oversight (Bohm & Haley, 2012). By
having court review and oversight will reduce criminal prosecution and civil liabilities. With this
kind of oversight, it can cause adverse media coverage, civil awards, and higher insurance rates.
Therefore, using these six ways to control corruption listed above it will help with corruption and
keep trust with the communities they protect (Bohm & Haley, 2012).

I've always had an interest in Criminal Justice due to most of my neighbor's family being in the
criminal justice system themselves and how much of an interest they brought to me from it
throughout my whole life and how they put their lives at risk every single day just to help the
community out in one way or the other. It requires a lot of effort and dedication from self being
to even get into a good system and it's all a gamble maybe the system you're in is good or maybe
it's bad. We must put our faith into what the system does due to the hard work they do day in and
day out and we must hope that everyone working there just abides by the rules. They portray
themselves to us as a sort of a super hero to the public because of course they risk their lives for us
meanwhile they try to hide the true them. When you first enter the academy, they provide you with
a set of rules that you must follow in order to even get in and that you must always follow them as a
code of honor and oath. They tell you that you must always put the people's safety first then yours
and that no corruption what so ever is allowed and if ever seen to be reported immediately. However,
those who "enforce" that rule the most tend to be the sectors with the most active police corrupted
service. What exactly is police corruption you may ask? It is the misuse of power by the police for
their own personal gain some examples of it can be bribery which is one of the least common
believe it or not, most of police

Good Cop, Bad Cop
When something is said about a cop it usually goes one of two ways, either they are praised on the
job they do or they are put down and called names. Police officers have been known to take bribes
for illegal things. There is corruption all over the states, it is everywhere from Chicago to even
Kansas. Police tactics are endangering civilian lives. Corruption is causing so much tension
between civilians and officers.Even though a large quantity of officers are corrupt not all of them
are, some do go above and beyond their duty and help their communities anyway they can. Not all
police officers are corrupt, but the ones who are give a bad reputation to them all. It would help
everyone if all cops could be trusted instead...show more content...
(the Gale Group Inc., 2005) Majority of the crimes committed by police officers is either taking
bribes in the form of money or drugs or helping a criminal in some form or fashion.
Corruption is all over the states, some however is worse than the others. In Detroit, a former
Chicago police officer on the lam for 14 years was arrested last Tuesday. Former Chicago PD Sgt.
Eddie Hicks, 68, had fled on the eve of his drug conspiracy trial in 2003. He had been charged in
2001 with running a crew of rogue officers who robbed drug dealers, stole their cash and sold their
drugs to other dealers. (Smith, 2017) Smith (2017) study found the following:
"In Louisville, Kentucky, a former Bullitt County Sheriff 's Office chief deputy was indicted last
Wednesday for stealing drugs from the department evidence room. John Cottrell allegedly took
marijuana, hydrocodone, and other pills, and investigators found some of the drugs in his office.
Cottrell claims he is the victim of a vendetta by department supporters of former Sheriff David
Greenwell, who himself has been indicted on drug charges. Cottrell faces charges of theft of a legend
drug, abuse of public trust, and evidence tampering." Something was rotten in the state of North
Carolina. There were rumors of corruption in the Northampton County Sheriff's Office and whispers
that Lann Tjuan Clanton, an ex–cop from a nearby police department, was selling drugs in the
hardscrabble eastern half of

Essay on Police and Corruption
Police and Corruption
The police. Twenty–four hours a day, three hundred sixty–five days a year, this division of our
government has a mandate to enforce the criminal law and preserve public peace. Understood in this
mandate is an obligation to police everyday life matters that originate in the daily lives and activities
of citizens within their community. Police interact in some form with the average citizen more often
than any other government official. In society today the police play a key role in maintaining a
civil society. This role assumes a substantial amount of power and authority over the general public.
With power comes corruption and/or misuse of power. The question that is presented is, how and
why do the police...show more content...
That also leads to the fact that citizens who behave antagonistically towards an officer are more
likely to be arrested than those who are civil or very differential. Donald J. Black reported in "Police
control of Juveniles", American sociological Review February
1970, that when Complaints are present 72 percent of adults who behave antagonistically toward
the police are arrested in the field while only 45 percent who are civil and 40 percent who are
differential toward the police are arrested. This is an obvious misuse of discretion. When a police
officer treats a citizen antagonistically there is not much the citizen can do, but when it is the citizen
acting antagonistically it more than likely will be a determination of guilt.
When a police officers judgment is constantly questioned and his sense of justice is not validated
he may lose his commitment to the system. Police are often alienated in the criminal justice
system, in a sense there status is demeaned by the decisions of lawyers and judges. They are
treated as less of a professional. To see a person who in the officer's discretion was guilty be
released time after time, it is difficult for the officer to keep his commitment to the system. "Where
moral commitment is lost, subcultural practices take over.
One such practice that exacerbates the relationship of the police with the public is harassment"
(Reiss, p.138) Therefore police create their own

Essay on Police Brutality and Corruption
Police Brutality and Corruption
Corruption in policing is viewed as the misuse of authority by a police officer acting officially to
fulfill his/her personal needs or wants. There are two distinct elements of corruption; 1) misuse of
authority, 2) personal attainment. The occupational subculture of policing is a major factor in both
creating police corruption, by initiating officers into corrupt activities, and sustaining it, by covering
up corrupt activities by other officers. Police corruption is a complex phenomenon, which does not
readily submit to simple analysis. It is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether
we are civilians or law enforcement officers. Since its beginnings, many aspects of policing...show
more content...
A new form of police corruption developed in the early 1980's and into the 1990's, which include
brutality, discrimination, sexual harassment, intimidation, and illicit the use of weapons. The
Mollen Commission found that "most corrupt officers start off as honest and idealistic." The
career of corruption's begins with passively accepting minor gratuities that gradually begin to
involve more serious violation of the laws, involving larger amounts of money and officers
initiating corrupt acts. It can be said that power inevitably tends to corrupt, and it is yet to be
recognized that, while there is no reason to presume that police officers as individuals are any less
fallible than other members of society, people are often shocked and outraged when officers are
exposed violating the law. There deviance elicits a special feeling of betrayal. The danger of police
corruption could invert the formal goals of the organization and may lead to "the use of
organizational power to encourage and create crime rather than to deter it". There has been many
attempts to put an end to police corruption, with no real success. An attempt to eliminate corruption,
by increasing salaries, more training, incentive for education, and the development of policies that
focus directly on factors leading to corruption. Despite many efforts by the police departments to
control corruption, it still exists. Police corruption has a very long standing

The Corruption Of Police Corruption
With recent negative media coverage concerning police officers, police corruption has become a
major topic. Police officers seem to be making more questionable and unethical decisions according
to the media. With these questionable actions, the idea that police officers are corrupt has been a
steadily growing opinion. I will be focusing this literature review on the history of police corruption,
mostly in major cities/countries; the nature of police corruption; the ethics involved in law
enforcement; causes for police corruption and finally possible solutions to police corruption.
History of Police CorruptionSince the start of policing in America, there have been major police
corruption scandals, especially in New York City. Throughout the course of the last century, the
NYPD has withstood at least six major corruption scandals which have resulted in commissions
(Muraskin & Roberts , 2009). For each of the commissions, they discussed the findings of the
commissions and their attempts to prevent that form of corruption from happening again. However,
it only seemed to solve certain aspects of those problems and not the whole problem. The findings
of those commissions are especially important since they demonstrate that the behaviors and patterns
of corruption have changed over the years. Police corruption is not a problem that is based only in
one country, but a problem all over the world (Newburn, 1999). Police corruption is happening in
major countries from the

Police Corruption Has Become A Major Problem
Throughout history, police corruption has become a major problem in the United States. It is
defined as a form of police misconduct that involves the act of either a single officer, or a group of
officers who abuse their powers to achieve personal or departmental gains. From as early as the
nineteenth century, corruption has not only affected law enforcement agencies, but also our
continuously changing society. Even though police officers are predominantly seen as honest and
professional, the few who are dishonest and corrupt tend to devalue the profession as a whole.
Police corruption is a general problem that is seen in both second and third world countries and is
usually investigated by internal affairs divisions. Oftentimes it is hard...show more content...
This investigation also led to the establishment of the two main types of corrupt officers known as,
the "meat–eaters" and "grass–eaters." (The–Crankshaft Publishing, 2017) As stated by the Knapp
Commission, Meat–eaters predominantly abuse their powers for personal gain, while grass–eaters
simply accept payoffs or gratuities. Officers typically become grass–eaters to prove their loyalty to
the brotherly allegiance, while others are influenced by or even become meat–eaters. (New York
Post, 2016/17)
It is a police officer's responsibility, stated in the code of conduct, to serve, protect, and ensure the
rights of the people; so it is baffling that some officers engage in these types of corrupt behaviors.
Some theories suggest that these behaviors have to do with police discretion. Discretion is not a
problem when used correctly, but when it is taken advantage of it can become a major problem.
Police rules and regulations do not cover every situation, so when police officers are put in a
situation where they need to make a decision, not all officers make the right one. In certain
situations this could be the difference between life and death. Another suggested theory is lack of
supervision. Many police officers do their work with very little supervision which could lead to
officers not following

Police Corruption
Police corruption has been an issue that has left a lasting blemish on communities and society.
Police corruption usually derives a lack of respect officer(s) feel that either the city does not care
about them or they are not paid enough for their duties. Throughout this essay I will give you a
better understanding on the issue that is police corruption by using terminology from the book such
as the "rotten apple theory", "blue wall of silence" and "deviant subculture". With corruption this
affects the view we have on police and it is up to us not fall into the trap of negativity and create a
better society for the future.
From the first police station built in Boston to what is today's modern police force there has always
been corruption inside the criminal justice system, whether it be something as little as a small bribe
to look the other way, or something more serious like getting away with a major offense. The
department of justice has had trouble from top to bottom with corruption and it has proven to be a
difficult problem to fix. When policing in the U. S. were just starting out corruption and law
bending was more prevalent but harder to see which Police officers who were following the rules
and who was bending the law in their own favor to gain an advantage for themselves rather than
looking out for the community as a whole. This is because when policing first started out there were
limited officers, which meant less word of mouth and less people to respond to and

Examples Of Police Corruption
What is Police corruption? In legal dictionary Police corruption is defined as "The misuse of police
authority for personal gain". Personal gain can mean monetary payment or any other type of benefit.
Corruption is not a new or uncommon obstacle facing the police departments. The problem goes far
back as the forming of the organized police forces. Police corruption is a problem that hurts both the
police organization and the society. Since its beginning many aspects of policing has changed;
however, one aspect that has remained unchanged is the corruption within the police departments. In
my paper I will be looking into an instance of police corruption scandal that happened in Los Angeles
Police Department (LAPD). What gave rise to corruption,...show more content...
At that time Officer Perez was suspected of working with known drug dealers to distribute the
cocaine on the streets. But the scandal started revealing later in 1999 after Perez made a deal with
prosecutors under which he pled guilty to cocaine theft and agreed to provide prosecutors with
wrongdoing in the Rampart CRASH unit. Perez worked with investigators over the next year,
providing over 4,000 pages of interrogation transcripts. Perez's testimony revealed police corruption
on an unimagined scale, implicating police officers in wrongful killings, indiscriminate beatings
and violence, theft, and drug dealing. Perez's testimony also implicated dozens of police officers in
systematic acts of dishonest law enforcement, exposing hundreds of instances in which evidence or
contraband was planted on suspects, false statements were coerced or fabricated, and police officers
offered perjured testimony in court. Perez's confessions prompted the LAPD to re–name its
investigative task force the "Rampart Task Force". The Task Force was charged with corroborating
Perez's allegations of corruption within Rampart CRASH. What followed was, in the words of one
independent commission, one of the worst police scandals in American history. Ultimately, the
District Attorney was

Research Paper On Police Corruption
Police Corruption
Domonique Herrera
Texas Southmost College
The criminal justice system is made up of many fundamentals. Officers need to go through a variety
of procedures in the hiring process, and once completed they need to go through a training academy.
Many U.S. citizens have witnessed a broken criminal justice system throughout the years. Citizens
observe officers causing a huge attempt of corruption. Corruption is occurring worldwide and is
making our law enforcement system look unprofessional. Our criminal justice system is not all fully
corrupted; only certain individuals are. Police get engaged with certain individuals and get brained
wash with the mentality of doing the wrong choices and not getting caught because they know
how the system works. The majority of law enforcement officers are competent, honest,
professional, but there are some that use their license to steal and/or kill. Some police officers are
involved with drug trafficking, involving innocent people with crimes, and causing harm to our
society. The cases that are mostly seen worldwide with police corruption are due to drugs and
drug trafficking. Police officers get involved with the "easy money" and believe the theory of "I
will not get caught"; it is miserable and emotional to see the United States law enforcement get
caught up in these cases. "In 2012, two corrupt cops joined forces with drug dealers and are now
facing jail time; they put dozens of criminal cases in jeopardy. Officers Diaz and Patrick Mara
admitted to ripping off drug dealers of their methamphetamine during traffic stops. This was the
beginning to police corruption in Kern County."(Richard Winton) The two police officers were
corrupt since a while back. "They both pleaded guilty to their charge and got punished for it.
Officer Diaz would not fully report the drugs they would find and instead would keep more than
half. Officer Mara was caught selling methamphetamine to other individuals." (Diaz and Mara
admitted) Other cases they were involved in are now put under jeopardy and could possibly be
missed charged. Cops should not allow such horrific thing to occur. If they know about a corrupt cop
they should immediately report it. People and younger

Essay On Police Corruption

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Essay On Police Corruption