Week 7: Week Seven - Class Discussion Only 200 words Instructional Objectives for this activity: Determine acceptable and unacceptable police officer behavior. Police corruption is an issue that deserves some critical analysis. Some people argue that police departments try to cover up corruption and that it is widespread. Others argue that corruption does indeed exist, but it has been blown out of proportion by the media. Please respond to all of the following prompts: • Corruption appears to be a problem that continues to recur in one form or another despite the growing educational levels, professionalism, and increased quality of people entering police service. • How would explain this phenomenon? Chapter 9, "The Public Image of the Police," pages 203-248. Corruption: In the last decade, a number of incidents of police corruption received widespread publicity. Most of these cases involved drug-related corruption and large amounts of money. In one of the most notorious cases, known and the Miami River Cops” case, Handful of officers were involved in a multimillion- dollar drug operation. After the case was were discovered, the chief of police requested the U.S Department of Justice to conduct a research project exploring how corruption by the International Association of CHIEFS OF THE CONTROL OF CORRUPTION COULD BE CONTROLLED IN POLICE department. Based on this study, conducted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), a number of important areas were identified as focal points for the control of corruption. While drug corruption was the stimulus for the control of corruption. While drug corruption was the stimulus for the study, the findings apply to virtually all forms of corruption. The following is a summary of some of the IACP conclusions. The Special Case of Drug Corruption: As noted previously, drug-related corruption of police officers has been particularly problematic. While overall incidents of corruption appear to have declined, the cases of drug-related corruption have notably increased. The reasons are complex and offer challenges for the police and community to gather in order to minimize their impact. To better understand the breadth of the problem, the author has developed the following typology. Type 1 Drug Corruption: In Search of Illegitimate Goals. The type 1 goals are defined as “illegitimate” in that an officer is seeking to use his or her position as a police officer simply for personal gain. Examples of this type of corruption would include: Giving information to drug dealers about investigations, undercover officers, names of information’s, planned raids, and so forth in exchange for a monetary payment. Accepting bribes from drug dealers in exchange for actions such as non-arrest, evidence tampering, perjury, or contamination of evidence. Theft of drug by an officer from the police property room or laboratory for personal consumption or sale of the drug. The “seizure” of drugs without arresting the person possessing the drugs with the officer’s intent of converting the drugs to personal use. Taking the profits of drug dealers’ sales and / or their drugs for resale. Extorting drug traffickers for money or property in exchange for no arrest or no seizure of drugs. Research by the author indicates that there are two distinct behavioral cycles- not necessarily mutually exclusive type1 corrupt acts. These motivations are classified as “cycles” because of a distinct recurring and reinforcing process. For example, after the fear decreased and another opportunity occurred, the officer would perform another improper act. Again, a period of fear of apprehension, albeit shorter, followed by another incident. The failure of being detected apparently reinforces the officer’s feeling of in-vulnerability from direction. As times increases, the frequency of misconduct would cyclically increase until an undefined saturation point is reached and the officer feels that no further risks could be taken. Type 2 Drug Corruption: In Search OF Legitimate Goals. Strikingly different is the second form of corruption- a search for legitimate goal. Since corruption is the abuse of one’s position for personal gain, it may be argued that, in the case of drug corruption, “gain” is not only money, tangible goods, and services but may also may also be organizational benefit- perhaps a form of “ winning “ or revenge> Example. “ Examples of type 2 corrupt behavior include: False statements to obtain arrest or search warrants against “known” drug dealers/traffickers Perjury during hearings and trials of drug dealers “Planting” or creating evidence against “known “drug dealers Overt and intentional entrapment Falsely spreading rumors that a dealer is a police informant, thus placing that person’s safety in jeopardy The type 2 corrupt officer’s self-determined goal is to prosecute and incarcerate the drug traffickers. However, type 2 corruption occurs when the attempt to accomplish this legitimate goal is through illegitimate means. When the goal (conviction) is achieved, the officer receives the satisfaction that he or she “won”. This form of revenge is psychologically rewarding and, obviously, improper(.page 240) The Police and crime: When discussing crime, there is a tendency to view it as a singular phenomenon an ominous cloud over the community that the police must strive to disperse. However, to understand crime and community, it must be dissected into various elements. Broadly speaking, we will look at the fear of crime and at actual crime. Actual crime is somewhat selective that is, it is much more prevalent in certain geographic areas of a city or county than in others. Thefts are the next worrisome form, and these include burglary, larceny, and auto theft. The third band on the crime continuum consists of nuisance offenses ranging from vandalism to trespassing. Because of the different dimensions of crime, the police must recognize that variable approaches to crime fighting are needed. Thus, any war on crime must have recognized this also. The following discussion is not meant to be a comprehensive treatise on crime, but a guidepost to issue regarding how crime affects the police- community relationship. The way crime is viewed in a community and the way police responded to perceived crime problems will have some influence on the public image of the police. ( page 244-255)