Corruption among police is an issue that has been known for many years. In many parts of the United States as well as in other countries the citizens do not trust the police and are even scared of them. Mexico is a very well know country in which many officers are corrupt. In instances such as these, police officers are persuaded and even threatened to work with different drug cartels around different parts of Mexico (Pollock, 2010). This paper will discuss police corruption and misconduct in different areas of the world as well as the ethics involved.
This country has received much publicity for the issues with police agencies nationwide, but there are many other countries that are experiencing very similar issues. Corruption is not just police shootings of citizens; it goes much deeper than that. It is important to know the definition of corruption. According to Ivkovic (2003), corruption is “when police do not adhere to the legal rules and thus violate the established boundaries of acceptable behavior” (p. 547). The common things that contribute to the issue of corruption include bribery, extortion, theft, and fraud (Ivkovic, 2003).
The fact that drugs are put forth in the community is so that there will always be a need for dependency upon those who set up the criteria for how they want to infest a community. The police are often a part as well, as they too can be bribed and paid off. Many store fronts can open up in a neighborhood, stores that may look legitimate to someone that does not live there, but many times the police, as well as the neighbors know what is going on behind closed doors. Now this is not to say that all police get involved in this kind of activity. However, it does show the power that organized crime can have, even controlling those in law enforcement.
In the 1980’s and 90’s gangs took over the control of the crack-cocaine epidemic. Money started adding up quick and easy, which made everyone want to join a gang. This ruined thousands of lives and turned cities into dangerous run down areas (Costa, Antonio Maria). Three main topics about organized crime in the U.S. are Mexican cartels, street gangs, and mandatory minimum sentences will reduce youth gang violence while some say it will do more harm than good. Today, in the U.S. not only do we have street gangs, but Mexican cartels have crossed the border to traffic drugs, kidnap people, and commit murders.
Everybody understands that police work is dangerous. Sometimes police put in situations that excessive force is needed. But, because some officers use these extreme measures in situations when it is not, police brutality should be addressed. The use of excessive force may or may not be large problem, but it should be looked into by both the police and the public. In New York City, an average of seven Latin Americans were killed a year from 1986 to 1989, but in 1990, that number increased greatly.
These facts make it possible for officers who commit human rights violations to escape due punishment and often repeat their offenses. Widespread police brutality exists in all cities and many countries. The system that is set up to deal with these abuses all had similar failings in each city and other countries. Complainants often face enormous difficulty in seeking administrative punishment or criminal prosecution of officers who have committed human rights violations. A national survey was taken by Seattle Times and states that had seventy percent of all police crimes against the public go unreported (Database of Abusive Police).Despite claims to the contrary from city officials where abuses have become scandals in the media, efforts to make meaningful reforms have fallen short.
Police Brutality Steven O’Neal Period 5 There is something that has been on the rise ever since 9/11 and not many Americans know what this is, a sad, but true fact. This is police brutality, where cops abuse their power given to them by law, and mistreat/break rules and regulations. Skateboarders, to wood carvers in Seattle, police around the country have mistreated their power. As many of you know, last year the police officer Ian berk knowingly shot a Native American wood carver named john t. Williams. But what most of you probably don’t know, is that this cop got away with murder, the shooting of john Williams was declared unjustified, and a normal citizen with this charge would do anywhere from 25 years to life in prison.
Everyone would like to think that police officers are all good and upstanding citizens in order to serve and protect, but there are corrupt police officers everywhere. Corruption has been an ongoing problem amongst the police enforcement for centuries. A police officer who is committed to their job will expose criminal activity and put a halt to crime. A corrupt police officer will cover up and partake in criminal activity. Corrupt police officers are dishonest and a disgrace to the entire police enforcement.
Walls’ in his article “Whiter Forensic Science’’ it started as a hobby of a few scientists who liked to become mixed up in the proceedings of the police and enjoyed the kind of problems this association brought them (Walls 32).” Another writer Cowan in his article “Decision Theory in Law, Science, and Technology” The aim of science, traditionally put, is to search out the ways in which truth may become known. Law aims at the just resolution of human conflict. Truth and justice, we might venture to say, having different aims, use different methods to achieve them. Unfortunately, this convenient account of law science is itself neither true nor just. For law must know what the truth is within the context of the legal situation: and science finds itself ever engaged in
Police Employers Should Recognize Unfit Applicants Prior to Employment. Christopher Johnson Over the last decade the American culture has endured an unwavering increase in crime which has required law enforcement hiring authorities across the nation, to implement a surge in the employment of police officers. In the wake of this aftermath, many unworthy applicants have joined the police officer ranks and are discharging the duties and responsibilities of upholding the law. The American society has suffered a great deal through the actions of unsuitable and corrupted police officers. The most contributing factor regarding corrupt police officers correlates to the fundamental qualities and attributes of the individuals performing the job.