Police in America

Chapter Thirteen
Police Corruption

2011 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

A Definition of Police
Corruption

Police Corruption: A form of misconduct or deviant

behavior by police officers that involves the misuse of
authority in a manner designed to produce personal
gain for themselves or for others.

Occupational Deviance: Criminal and improper noncriminal behavior committed during the course of
normal work activities or under the guise of a police
officers authority.

Abuse of Authority: An action by a police officer that

tends to injure, insult, trespass upon human dignity
and/or violate an inherent legal right of a citizen.
2

The Costs of Police

Corruption
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

A corrupt act by a police officer is a criminal

act.
Corruption usually protects other criminal acts.
Corruption undermines the effectiveness of the
criminal justice system.
Corruption undermines the professionalism of a
police department.
Corruption is a secret tax adding up to millions
of dollars a year.
Corruption undermines public confidence in the
police.
3

Types of Corruption
Gratuities
Free meals, dry
cleaning, or discounts
Receive or not receive?
Why would business
persons give gratuities?
Grass eaters vs. meat
eaters

Bribes
For not enforcing the
law
Selling information
Protecting illegal
activities

Theft and burglary

Taking money from
people arrested for
drunkenness
Stealing property,
money, or drugs

Corruption and Brutality

Officers bust drug
dealers, steal their
drugs or money and
then sold drugs to
other dealers or officers
Rite of initiation
4

Corruption and Brutality

Brutality - new form
of corruption that
emerged in the
1980s & 1990s
New York City
Los Angeles

Levels of corruption
Type I: Rotten apples
and rotten pockets
Rotten apples - Only
a few corrupt officers
Rotten pocket - a few
corrupt officers
cooperating with one
another

Type II: Pervasive

unorganized
corruption
Majority of personnel
are corrupt but have
little relationship to
each other.

Type III: Pervasive

organized
corruption
Penetrates higher
levels
6

Theories of Police Corruption

Individual-officer
explanations
Rotten apples

The criminal law

Regulation of activities
that people regard as
legitimate or matters of
private choice
Regulatory ordinances

Culture conflict
Conflict over the goals
of the system

Local Political Culture

Corruption pervades other
parts of government

Neighborhood Explanations
Organizations foster corruption
High levels of poverty, racial
diversity, population turnover,
and low levels of informal social
control may lead to police
misconduct

Nature of police work

Opportunity
Low visibility
Officer attitude
7

Theories of Police Corruption

Cont.
Police organization
Quality of management and supervision
Exists because the department tolerates it

Police subculture
Initiates officers into corrupt activities
Covers up corrupt activities

Becoming Corrupt

The Moral Careers of Individual Officers according to

Sherman:

Police officers are often all honest at the outset of their careers
Moral career begins with minor gratuities
Peer

pressure involved
Small bribes like free meals

Second and third phases involve regulatory offenses

Officer

more likely to engage in these activities if he/she knows

other officers are doing it

Fourth, fifth and sixth phases involve more serious offenses

Accepting

large amounts of money

Protection of certain activities such as prostitution and drug
trafficking

Corrupting Organizations

Initial stage involves individuals or isolated groups

Second and third stages involve all officers becoming corrupt
Final stages involve pervasive organized corruption:
9

Controlling Corruption
Internal Mechanisms

Attitude of Chief of Police

Rules and Regulations
Internal Affairs investigations
Parting

the blue curtain

Proactive Integrity tests

Effective Supervision
Rewarding good officers
Personnel Recruitment

10

Controlling Corruption
External Mechanisms

Special investigations
Criminal prosecution
Mobilizing public opinion
Altering the external environment

Media
11

The Limits of Anticorruption

Efforts
Anechiarico

and Jacobs argue

anticorruption efforts have been
ineffective and have made government
itself ineffective
Corruption persists in the NYC police
department despite special
investigations every 20 years
However, NYC is unique and other police
departments in other cities have been
successful in reducing corruption
12