According to Westley, the public hostility towards police mounted increasing amounts of pressure that the police had to attempt to relieve or abandon. As a result, the police officers would rely on one another for moral and practical support. Also, the police faced additional assessments of collective responsibility and cooperative guilt from public hostility. In other words, all members of a police department were held responsible for one individual’s actions, in which the result is that all the members turn to find shared interests with the police group. The policemen come together and form a group to share a common shield against the public and outside world (Panzarella & Vona, pg 203). As noted by Westley earlier, the use of police secrecy served two purposes in a method of
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Secrecy, in the eyes of the police was both a form of loyalty amongst the members of the group as well as a solidarity shield against the outside world. Furthermore, Westley noted that the use of secrecy only pertained to mistakes that the police had made during arrests or when enforcing the law. In order the further demonstrate the existence of police secrecy, Wesley asked 16 policemen a series of question that put them in the hot spot. The policemen had two options of either refusing to answer the questions, and thus incriminating themselves or testify against their partner’s illegal actions, and thus become a snitch capable of being isolated from the rest of the group. Westley’s test found that 77% of the men agreed to rather perjury and incriminate themselves than break the police secrecy by testifying against their partner. Therefore, Westley concluded that in spite of knowing of the consequences of committing perjuring, the policemen would ideally rather commit illegal actions that violate the secrecy of the group Panzarella & Vona, pg
Secrecy, in the eyes of the police was both a form of loyalty amongst the members of the group as well as a solidarity shield against the outside world. Furthermore, Westley noted that the use of secrecy only pertained to mistakes that the police had made during arrests or when enforcing the law. In order the further demonstrate the existence of police secrecy, Wesley asked 16 policemen a series of question that put them in the hot spot. The policemen had two options of either refusing to answer the questions, and thus incriminating themselves or testify against their partner’s illegal actions, and thus become a snitch capable of being isolated from the rest of the group. Westley’s test found that 77% of the men agreed to rather perjury and incriminate themselves than break the police secrecy by testifying against their partner. Therefore, Westley concluded that in spite of knowing of the consequences of committing perjuring, the policemen would ideally rather commit illegal actions that violate the secrecy of the group Panzarella & Vona, pg