NCJ Number
187451
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 70 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2001 Pages: 23-26
Date Published
February 2001
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article on police corruption discusses the nature of such corruption, the detection of and response to corruption, and the prevention of corruption.
Abstract
Corruption can include an abuse of position, although not all abuses of position constitute corrupt acts. Committing a criminal act under color of law is one example of police corruption, but using one's law enforcement position for insignificant, private gain may not necessarily rise to a corrupt act, although it may be corrupting. Police deviance involves precursory signs of corruption rather than corruption itself. When agencies determine a trend of increasing frequency and egregiousness in deviant acts by their officers, they must take steps to eliminate such acts before full-blown corruption emerges. The task of corruption control is to examine the organization as a whole, not just the individuals in it, because corrupt police are made within the context of the police subculture, not by bringing corruption with them when they are hired. Corruption can be prevented by having frequent assignment moves, especially from and to the areas of policing more prone to corruption. Second, agencies should foster and reward officers that perform duties in the most noble fashion possible, so as to encourage the development of a subculture in which such officers are role models. Third, those who serve the public must understand that they are held to a higher standard of honesty and they must be encouraged to take pride in living by this higher standard. 15 notes