Constants Identified as Causes of Corruption
Before it is possible to consider ways in which police corruption may be prevented, it is important to understand what may contribute to police corruption and what makes it possible. Scholarly literature is rather consistent in identifying key issues in the development of corrupt practices within police organizations and the officers that work at them. Discretion on the part of police officers is a constant that has been identified as a contributing cause of police corruption.
Police officers have considerable freedom to exercise discretion when determining whether or not to enforce particular laws in particular situations. This considerable amount of discretion creates an opportunity for such …show more content…
Community tolerance, or even support, for police corruption can facilitate a department’s becoming corrupt (Newburn, 1999). The public may inadvertently legitimize corruption on the part of the agency. Community tolerance of small scandals and periodic lapses in judgment by officers may, encourage police departments to view their corrupt practices as legitimate and therefore allow these types of actions to go …show more content…
An example of this type of activity is Pollo Tropical Restaurant and Chipotle offer half priced food to emergency services workers, including police officers and fire fighters. Some individuals are reluctant to define gratuities as a corrupt practice but argue that they act as a stepping stone to corruption. It can be argued that corruption can stem from a gradual deterioration in behavior, beginning with small, seemingly innocuous, actions such as accepting gifts and gratuities (Prenzler, 1995).
Lastly, the most common identifiable form of corruption within law enforcement is, Noble Cause Corruption. Noble cause corruption can be defined as corruption committed in the name of the ends justify the means, or corruption that occurs when police officers care lose sight of the oath they took to uphold the law. Examples of noble cause corruption are, planting or fabricating evidence, lying on reports or in court, and generally abusing police authority to make a charge
Before it is possible to consider ways in which police corruption may be prevented, it is important to understand what may contribute to police corruption and what makes it possible. Scholarly literature is rather consistent in identifying key issues in the development of corrupt practices within police organizations and the officers that work at them. Discretion on the part of police officers is a constant that has been identified as a contributing cause of police corruption.
Police officers have considerable freedom to exercise discretion when determining whether or not to enforce particular laws in particular situations. This considerable amount of discretion creates an opportunity for such …show more content…
Community tolerance, or even support, for police corruption can facilitate a department’s becoming corrupt (Newburn, 1999). The public may inadvertently legitimize corruption on the part of the agency. Community tolerance of small scandals and periodic lapses in judgment by officers may, encourage police departments to view their corrupt practices as legitimate and therefore allow these types of actions to go …show more content…
An example of this type of activity is Pollo Tropical Restaurant and Chipotle offer half priced food to emergency services workers, including police officers and fire fighters. Some individuals are reluctant to define gratuities as a corrupt practice but argue that they act as a stepping stone to corruption. It can be argued that corruption can stem from a gradual deterioration in behavior, beginning with small, seemingly innocuous, actions such as accepting gifts and gratuities (Prenzler, 1995).
Lastly, the most common identifiable form of corruption within law enforcement is, Noble Cause Corruption. Noble cause corruption can be defined as corruption committed in the name of the ends justify the means, or corruption that occurs when police officers care lose sight of the oath they took to uphold the law. Examples of noble cause corruption are, planting or fabricating evidence, lying on reports or in court, and generally abusing police authority to make a charge