NCJ Number
42963
Date Published
1978
Length
19 pages
Annotation
THE MEANS BY WHICH POLICE CORRUPTION CAN BE CONTROLLED ARE EXAMINED IN THIS STUDY THROUGH AN ANALYSIS OF THE CHANGING NATURE OF POLICE CORRUPTION IN FOUR CITIES IN THE WAKE OF MAJOR SCANDALS AND REFORM EFFORTS.
Abstract
FOUR POLICE DEPARTMENTS WERE STUDIED, EACH OF WHICH HAD EXPERIENCED A MAJOR SCANDAL OVER POLICE CORRUPTION. A NEW POLICE EXECUTIVE WAS APPOINTED WITH A MANDATE TO REFORM THE DEPARTMENT IN EACH OF THESE CITIES: OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA; NEW YORK, NEW YORK; NEWBURG, NEW YORK; AND A FOURTH CITY GIVEN THE FICTITIOUS NAME OF 'CENTRAL CITY.' POLICIES FOR CONTROLLING CORRUPTION WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH POLICE EXECUTIVES AND ANALYSIS OF VARIOUS DOCUMENTS. CHANGES OVER TIME (BEFORE AND AFTER THE SCANDAL) IN CORRUPTION WERE MEASURED BY EIGHT INDICATORS OF THE LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION OF CORRUPTION. THE STUDY FOUND THAT ALL FOUR CITIES HAD A HIGH LEVEL OF POLICE CORRUPTION PRIOR TO THE SCANDAL. AFTER THE SCANDALS, THREE OF THE POLICE DEPARTMENTS ADOPTED POLICIES AIMED AT PREVENTING AND DETECTING ONGOING CORRUPTION, AND ONE ADOPTED POLICY AIMED ONLY AT RESPONDING TO ALLEGATIONS OF PAST CORRUPTION. THE STUDY FOUND THAT THE LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION PRESENT IN CORRUPTION, AS MEASURED BY THE INDICATORS USED IN THIS STUDY, DECLINED SUBSTANTIALLY IN ALL FOUR CITIES AFTER THE ADOPTION OF REFORM POLICIES. HOWEVER, IN THE ONE CITY THAT FOCUSED ON POLICE CORRUPTION, ONLY 1 YEAR OF DATA WAS GATHERED, AND THUS THE DECLINE OF CORRUPTION ORGANIZATION IN THAT CITY MAY BE DUE SOLELY TO THE EFFECTS OF THE SCANDAL. THE REPORT CONCLUDES THAT PREMONITORY STRATEGIES (AIMED AT ONGOING CORRUPTION) FOR CORRUPTION CONTROL CAN REDUCE THE LEVEL OF ORGANIZATION OF POLICE CORRUPTION AND THAT POSTMONITORY STRATEGIES (AIMED AT PAST CORRUPTION) ARE NOT AS EFFECTIVE AS PREMONITORY STRATEGIES. FINALLY, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE SAME STRATEGIES FOR CORRUPTION CONTROL CAN BE EMPLOYED IN A POLICE DEPARTMENT OF ANY SIZE, ALTHOUGH THE TACTICS MAY DIFFER. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)