Policing: Bad Cops and Forces of Deviance

NB: We do not resell your papers. Upon ordering, we do an original paper exclusively for you.

NB: All your data is kept safe from the public.

Table of Contents

The key findings from the Kane and White “Bad Cops” study
Opportunities and organizational aspects of policing contributing to deviance
Police subculture as a set of key ethos and themes
References

The key findings from the Kane and White “Bad Cops” study

Prevalence of misconduct

Kane and White (2009) found that the prevalence of misconduct in police officers while demonstrating a large spike in 1986 decreases steadily and reaches less than 1 per 1000 by 1996.

Types of misconduct

The above-mentioned sharp increase was associated primarily with drugs which were also connected with hiring officers with arrest records. Yet, the highest rate of charges was linked with administrative or performance issues which amounted to 30% of total reprimands (Kane & White, 2009).

Factors predicting misconduct

The main factors that predicted misconduct were the assignment of an individual to a patrol sector distinctive of its high criminality. In addition, a record of arrest, previous employment issues, complaints, were also noted as indicative of possibly improper duty fulfillment. Among protective factors, the researchers identify that higher education had a significantly positive relation to minimizing the chances of misconduct.

Opportunities and organizational aspects of policing contributing to deviance

One of the key opportunities of policing is aspiring the ranks and being endowed with more authority. Yet, as Kane and White (2009) note, the officer’s rank is also predictive of improper service. Indeed, a police officer with specific values and perception of the law may use his or her increased authority improperly, for instance, by shooting a person who allegedly poses a danger to others, which may create deviance.

According to Kappeler, Sluder, and Alpert (1998), the paramilitary organization of the police force contributes to the deviance because it forms authoritarian behavior models. For instance, a young mind forced into such a paradigm could perceive danger and duty from another perspective which leads to inconsistency with humanistic values of the general population. In addition, rewarding officers for arresting might also be tempting for some of them to commit misconduct for personal gains. Career mobility also imposes a constraint of being less sensitive to errors of lower-ranking officers, as their superiors were once in their place.

Police subculture as a set of key ethos and themes

Ethos

The ethos of bravery seems to restrain officers from discussing and reflecting on their emotions as well as favor dangerous behaviors. For example, officers talking about their feelings are considered unreliable, while those who demonstrate themselves as brave in tough situations become accepted by peers (Kappeler et al., 1998). The ethos of autonomy increases the officer’s potency to interpret the law situationally and use force as if they see fit, which might lead to abuse. The ethos of secrecy enables police officers to protect each other from public review and justify the decisions made by fellow police people. The constant investigation and scrutiny imposed by media seem to force officers to stand together.

Themes

Among core themes, there are isolation, solidarity. Isolation is attributed to situations when police officers are often judged for misuse of force or authority which pushes them to isolation from other society (Kappeler et al., 1998). For instance, suspiciousness police have as a professional trait seems to homogenize them against the rest of society, where all potential threats to stability are located. Solidarity can be illustrated by the loyalty to one’s own, to one’s superiors and to the police in general manifested through protecting each other from danger on duty.

Postulates

Postulates such as “don’t give up another cop” or “hold up your end of the work; don’t leave work for the next tour” seem to increase the unity and conformity in the force (Kappeler et al., 1998, p. 103-104). They govern the subculture through creating taboos and rules of good behavior within the group.

References

Kane, R. J., & White, M. D. (2009). Bad cops. Criminology & Public Policy, 8(4), 737-769.

Kappeler, V. E., Sluder, R. D., & Alpert, G. P. (1998). Forces of deviance: Understanding the dark side of policing (2nd ed.). Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland Press.

Click Here To Order Now!