Changing Nature of Police Corruption (From Policing in Central and Eastern Europe: Deviance, Violence, and Victimization, P 39-47, 2002, Milan Pagon, ed. -- See NCJ-206198)

• NCJ Number: 206202
• Author(s): Tom Barker; Carole Garrison; Steve Heddleston
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: College of Police and Security Studies
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Slovenia

Annotation

Based primarily on a content analysis of major U.S. media reports of police corruption, this study examined the changing nature of police corrupt acts (the misuse of a police officer's official position for material reward or gain) since the widespread scandals of the 1970's and 1980's.

Abstract

The study focused on relevant media reports from 1998 through 2002. During this period, 49 separate incidents of police corruption were reported. Sixty-seven percent of these incidents were related to drugs. The 33 incidents of drug-related corruption ranged from a Rhode Island police sergeant's acting as a lookout for a drug ring to actually trafficking in drugs. There were several incidents of police officers robbing or "shaking down" drug dealers. The incidents occurred in 30 different police departments throughout the United States and involved 141 officers. All of the officers involved, with the exception of two female jailers, were male. Thirty-five of the officers were supervisors. The 49 incidents involved 19 officers who acted as individuals; 30 incidents involved 2 or more officers acting as a group. There was no evidence that the dominant coalition of any police department was corrupt. The data support the argument that corruption involves "rotten apples" or groups of "rotten apples." 27 references