Police Subculture

1. What role does the police/corrections subculture play in fueling law enforcement misconduct? Defend your position.
It is unreasonable to believe law enforcement misconduct does not exist; it has been ongoing since the creation of the law enforcement entity. This is due to the subculture created within the police and corrections units. A subculture is unwritten rules and guidelines referring to attitudes, beliefs and behaviors assisting the officers in survival. Survival refers to camaraderie within the unit, such as being accepted and trusted within the group. Survival goes further than that though, for example for officers who do not conform to the norms of the police/corrections world, if they are need of backup fellow officers may be slow to respond to the outsider. Following the subculture does not necessarily mean
performing illegal drug raids to sell for profit later and/or renting an apartment with fellow officers to exploit women, etc.
for example, but not reporting any type of officer misconduct is also a version of conforming. Officers that do not necessarily commit the act but also do not rat out the ones that are, they are safe, and considered loyal, trusted and part of the group. Do I believe this happens? Definitely. I work in a Security Forces squadron and have done so for over 7 years now. Too many times, have I heard airman fail to perform duties as outlined in regulations, such as not scanning their buddies ID card or throwing away a Lost and Found item because they did not want to tag it. When asked about the situations, their excuse is “Oh, everyone does it. It’s no big deal”. When Airmen are asked why they did not report the violation, of any kind, they merely state, “He’s my friend” or “I don’t want to get involved”. These are all examples of conforming to the unwritten rules of being a wingman in every way possible or you are out of the group. Cops are tightknit groups and to exclusion is probably the
most horrible thing. Cops are aware of what is right and wrong however, at times; it can be dilemma determining which path to follow.

2. Identify at least three things that criminal justice leaders can do to reduce the amount of ethical violations in their organization.
Leaders and fellow officers need to be aware of unethical behavioral patterns. These are determined by observing the actions of the offending officers, talking to their peers, reviewing citizens’ complaints and types of issues they were bringing in. Some symptoms can be high numbers of use of force cases, resisting arrest incidents or if their performance is continually suffering. Once leaders identify the problem officers or determine a high number of symptoms within an officer they can intervene effectively. Leaders can set up counseling to give officers an outlet or identify other underlying issues that can assist with recovery or even halt the progression of issues. Leaders can also offer or mandate training on stress management, ethical courses, agency policies and regulations, and basic do’s and don’ts. Lastly, leaders will also need to work closely with officers to correct their behaviors. All three tactics can greatly reduce officer misconduct. I would not go so far to say it would diminish to zero violations, but ensuring officers are being watched, monitored and trained will open the door to a positive version of the police/correction subculture; a subculture where it is acceptable to do the right thing and report violations.
References:
Ortmeier, P., & Meese, E. (2010). Leadership, ethics, and policing: Challenges for the 21st century (2nd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.