Police Corruption

2 Pages 376 Words

Police Corruption
Police corruption is a problem that has vested itself in police departments across the United States. It is a problem that has and will continue to affect us all, whether we are civilians or law enforcement officers. Since its early development, many aspects of policing have changed; however, one aspect that has remained relatively unchanged is the existence of corruption. Whether its sheltered within the department or broadcast on every news channel across the world its an element of our departments that must come to a seize. Police corruption has become a very serious problem in today’s police departments. Large groups of corrupt police have been caught in New York, New Orleans, Washington, DC, and Los Angeles.
Abuse by law enforcement officers in the United States is one of the most serious and divisive violations to humans in this country. The violations persist nationwide, in rural, suburban, and urban areas of the country, committed by various law enforcement personnel including local and state police, sheriff’s departments, and federal agents. Police have engaged in unjustified shootings, severe beatings, fatal choking, and unnecessary rough treatment, persists because overwhelming barriers to accountability make it possible for officers who commit violations to escape due punishment and often to repeat their offenses. While the proportion of repeatedly abusive officers on any force is generally small, responsible authorities including law enforcement supervisors, as well as local and federal government leadership often fail to act decisively to restrain or penalize such acts.
In simple terms, corruption in policing is usually viewed as the misuse of authority by a police officer acting officially to fulfill personal needs or wants. For a corrupt act to occur, three distinct elements of police corruption must be present simultaneously: 1) misuse of authority, 2) misuse of official capacity, and ...