Police Subculture Essay

The accepted definition of police subculture is described as a particular set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors displayed by those who work in the field of law enforcement. Such values are typically shaped by the experiences that police officers underwent along with many other factors, such as the partners that they worked with, their leaders, and the criminals that they faced. Although, since most of the time that law enforcement officers spend is involved in trying to control crime, it has made the police become wary of the public and has caused them to develop an “us versus them” mindset (Herbert). There is also the “blue curtain” or the “blue wall of silence,” which is something of a code of silence among the police and it only serves …show more content…
As stated by Steve Herbert, “police are viewed as a distinct subgroup with a particular ethos that strongly influences their daily practices.” The subculture leads them to believe that they cannot appear weak no matter the circumstance and that they should essentially ignore their own humanity (Malmin). The subculture of police is also filled to the brim with close-mindedness, biases, prejudice, and suspicion (McCartney and Parent). Still, in spite of all of those negative aspects, there are some positive qualities of police subculture that somewhat assist in counterbalancing the more unfavorable aspects. People in law enforcement share respectable principles like teamwork, supportiveness, perseverance, loyalty as well as quite a few more. Such values are what allow police officers to endure what is, without a doubt, one of the more trying and emotionally draining profession (McCartney and Parent). Nevertheless, in this instance the bad seems to outweigh the good, bearing in mind the fact that distrust is steadily increasing between the police and the public. Perhaps, to begin to understand the deep-seated subculture that pervades law enforcement, there needs to be comprehension of police officers at their core, the environment of their workplace, and the training that they