NCJ Number
106060
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1986) Pages: 2-33
Date Published
1986
Length
22 pages
Annotation
Nine professionals (American and foreign) examine the importance of integrity to police professionalism and the necessity of the police policing themselves.
Abstract
They argue that if the police do not maintain integrity and identify, expose, and deal with corruption, brutality and the misuse of police power, they will fail as police agencies. Police have the power to use force, including guns, to search, seize, and arrest suspects; to imprison; and in some cases, to kill and destroy property. Because police have broad discretion in how they carry out these duties and the possibility of abuses in these actions, great or small, is universal to all societies, all police departments and police officers must face the issue of police integrity. The Commissioner of Police in Genk, Belgium, discusses police defenses against corruption, emphasizing the importance of police officers being taught to think, to act responsibly, and to follow an ethical code of conduct. An official of the criminal court in Hillerod, Denmark, looks at factors which help to keep the Danish police service free of corruption: thorough screening, bureaucratic character of the police force, and absence of legislation attempting to prescribe moral regulations. The work of the Independent Commission Against Corruption in Hong Kong is examined next, with attention to the accomplishments achieved during the past 6 years (1981-1987). Maintaining police integrity in Japan is discussed in terms of Japan's history and the Japanese police code of ethics. The Commissioner of Police, Utrecht, The Netherlands, describes a strategy for maintaining police integrity based on four elements: cultural, structural, internal and external control mechanisms, and a disciplinary and penal system. The Swedish approach to police integrity is explained in terms of the structure of the criminal justice system, police morale, and police compensation. Factors important in keeping the ranks of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at a high level of integrity are also highlighted, including the personnel selection process, recruit training, education, and internal investigative units. References.