Police Culture

Rixton Police Chief Walton Eager had no experience in administration. Chief Walton showed no interest in making sure officers in his department were properly trained on new or old policies and procedures. Focused policies need to be developed and implemented. While policing in the United States, and worldwide, involves many variables and diverse situations, the enormous potential for problem incidents resulting from police-public interaction can be greatly minimized with the right policy. In fact, most police officers welcome policies targeting specific incidents and prefer to follow guidelines set forth by their departments. Many have even expressed a willingness to seek police employment in other agencies because of the lack of specific policies …show more content…
The “culture” of a police department reflects what that department believes in as an organization. These beliefs are reflected in the department’s recruiting and selection practices, policies and procedures, training and development, and ultimately, in the actions of its officers in law enforcement situations. Clearly, all police departments have a culture. The key question is whether that culture has been carefully developed or simply allowed to develop without benefit of thought or guidance. There are police agencies, for example, where police use of force is viewed as abnormal. Thus, when it is used, the event receives a great deal of administrative attention. Such a response reflects the culture of that department: the use of force is viewed and responded to as an atypical occurrence. Contrast such a department with one which does not view the use of force as abnormal. In the latter case, there may be inadequate or poorly understood policies providing officers with guidelines regarding the use of force. There probably is no administrative procedure for investigating incidents where force is used. And, most importantly, the culture of the department is such that officers come to view the use of force as an acceptable way of resolving conflict. Over the past few years, there has been significant progress in improving police community relationships. Yet, the major problem creating friction between the police and the community today—especially in communities of color—is police use of deadly force. This is an age-old problem of which only in recent years has the public become aware. The fact that this problem existed for such a long time before receiving widespread attention can again be related to the culture of the