NCJ Number
143035
Journal
American Journal of Police Volume: 11 Issue: 4 Dated: (1992) Pages: 47-70
Date Published
1992
Length
24 pages
Annotation
An understanding of the implications of the bureaucratization of policing proves essential to comprehending the failure of an effective code of ethics to evolve.
Abstract
Binding consensual norms and their manifestation as codes of ethical behavior are unlikely to develop without conditions that promote role reciprocity and bilateral communication. Bureaucracy in policing functions acts as an impediment to the genesis of these conditions. A true professionalization of policing that emphasizes professional autonomy and self- regulation offers promise for creating these conditions and an accompanying effective ethics code. Sufficient evidence is available to support the belief that professionalization would markedly change the contemporary institution of policing in ways that would foster role reciprocity, bilateral communication, and consensus building. 38 references