Police Corruption and the Perception of the Public
POLICE CORRUPTION AND THE PERCEPTIO OF THE PUBLIC
Yvonne Hernandez
Internal Affairs and Special Investigations
Professor: Ted Ellis
April 8, 2014
Police Corruption and the perception of the public
The duty of police was essentially supposed to be to prevent crime, enforce laws, and maintain order, and provide emergency assistance, but there have been and continue to be cases of police officers who do the exact opposite of that. Because of the officers who do or have behaved in a corrupt manner now the public perceives all officers as corrupt and abusing their power, causing the public to resist authority and to not cooperate with officials. Police misconduct is something that has been around since the beginning of policing, but now necessary action has been taken to tackle, punish, and hopefully reduce if not eliminate the misconduct in the police force. Police corruption can result in the damage to police legitimacy, occupational integrity, and the public image of police as well. It is important for the public to have a positive perception of police because their perception shapes the way they respond to police, their support and cooperation, and willingness to participate in anti-crime programs. Once the public has a more positive opinion of police, there would be more cooperation from the public and more effective policing by officials.
Police corruption is the abuse of public power by police officers for their own profits. “Police have extraordinary powers that are not given to others, including the power to briefly take away the liberty of other citizens” (Miller, 2010, p. 243). Since police have this power, some are very tempted to misuse it for their own benefits. Just like there are different kind of crimes that people can commit, there are also different ways that officials can behave that can be found corrupt. The different kinds of cases include accepting money and gratuities, using unnecessary violence or brutality, participating in
Yvonne Hernandez
Internal Affairs and Special Investigations
Professor: Ted Ellis
April 8, 2014
Police Corruption and the perception of the public
The duty of police was essentially supposed to be to prevent crime, enforce laws, and maintain order, and provide emergency assistance, but there have been and continue to be cases of police officers who do the exact opposite of that. Because of the officers who do or have behaved in a corrupt manner now the public perceives all officers as corrupt and abusing their power, causing the public to resist authority and to not cooperate with officials. Police misconduct is something that has been around since the beginning of policing, but now necessary action has been taken to tackle, punish, and hopefully reduce if not eliminate the misconduct in the police force. Police corruption can result in the damage to police legitimacy, occupational integrity, and the public image of police as well. It is important for the public to have a positive perception of police because their perception shapes the way they respond to police, their support and cooperation, and willingness to participate in anti-crime programs. Once the public has a more positive opinion of police, there would be more cooperation from the public and more effective policing by officials.
Police corruption is the abuse of public power by police officers for their own profits. “Police have extraordinary powers that are not given to others, including the power to briefly take away the liberty of other citizens” (Miller, 2010, p. 243). Since police have this power, some are very tempted to misuse it for their own benefits. Just like there are different kind of crimes that people can commit, there are also different ways that officials can behave that can be found corrupt. The different kinds of cases include accepting money and gratuities, using unnecessary violence or brutality, participating in
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