Police Culture Essay - 943 Words

Police Culture in the United States Internal and External Mechanisms Police Culture in the United StatesAlthough it is senior police management that makes decisions about police strategy, departmental policy, and the allocation of police resources, ordinary officers in fact make the great majority of day-to-day policing decisions. These police officers decide whom to stop, whom to question, and whom to arrest, as well as how best to deal with public concerns and complaints. See really it is ran by the ordinary officer. We used to believe that the â€Å"Chief of police† made all the decisions. The Iron Law of Oligarchy suggests that the formal organization of bureaucracies inevitably leads to oligarchy, in which even†¦show more content†¦The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was a major factor in the changes that moved women from domestic roles to more demanding police roles. This is because the Act changed the social status for women. The same applies to ethnic minorities as their status and rights changed with the Act. In order to achieve equality in law enforcement for women and minorities, several research studies are conducted to ensure that they are being utilized in the organization in accordance with a percentage that represents a balance as possible. Agencies such as the National Policing Improving Agency have included equality standards for the police service to recognize the importance of diversity in the police force. Stress in Policing Stress in policing can be seen in all ranks and police departments across the country. The job of a police officer cannot compare to any job in the civilian sector. Police officers train to deal with the bad scenarios, but even with all the preparations in place things can go wrong. Police officers are the first responders for criminal activity and are the first ones to see human suffering. From dealing with murders, robberies, rape, or child abuse police officers must deal with the situation at hand in a professional manner. This can lead to stress because not everyone reacts the same to these situations. Some police officers can easily deal with a dead body, whereas others are traumatized for life after viewing a corpse. Another stress factor isShow MoreRelatedPolice Brutality And The Police As An Institution, And Police Culture2196 Words   |  9 Pagesconsiderably over the past few years as cases of police brutality and corruption have surfaced in the media an d in the courtroom. Commentators agree that three issues have shaped the role of ethics in policing: styles of policing, the police as an institution, and police culture. Banks, C. (2013). Criminal justice ethics: Theory and practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications. One of the few things that is really dividing the country is the attitude towards the police due to the killings of African AmericansRead MoreEssay Police Culture1335 Words   |  6 PagesPolice Culture Marissa Efros, Lysa Lawson, Awele Meju, Makita Walker, Joseph Washington CJA/214 May 24, 2012 Jesse Banks Police Culture The history of policing can be traced back to the beginning of time. When looking at the subject of police work there is a large culture and history that follows along with it. There are many topics that can be analyzed when identifying, and describing the elements and the significances that are associated with policing. A largeRead MoreThe Elements Behind Policing And Police Culture3506 Words   |  15 PagesThe Elements Behind Policing and Police Culture by Tyneiseca Epps Research Paper Submitted in Partial Fulfillment Master of Science in Criminal Justice Seminar in Law Enforcement Mississippi Valley State University November 18, 2014 The Elements Behind Policing and Police Culture Introduction A police force is a constituted body of persons empowered by the state to enforce the law, protect property, and to limit civil disorder. Their powers include the legitimized use of force. The termRead MoreNecessity Of Reform Throughout Police Culture1651 Words   |  7 PagesThomas Cascio Dr. Smith ENC1101 18 June, 2015 Necessity of Reform in Police Culture If America is to continue on as a civil country, where people are free to feel safe in their everyday lives, then there is a desperate need for reform in the current police culture. There is a certain culture of silence prevalent among law enforcement officers. It is usually known as the Blue Wall of Silence, or the Blue Code. It is an unwritten rule among officers, to not report on each other’s mistakes, misconductsRead MorePolice Brutality And Its Effects On American Culture1793 Words   |  8 PagesPart One: Topic and Discipline The focus of my research is on police brutality, specifically on the various components of excessive force and what aspects of American culture allow it to continue. This topic is multidisciplinary, and fits within the bounds of sociology, African American studies, criminal justice, law, and public policy. There are multiple factors which influence police brutality, including but not limited to, location, segregation, community accountability, demographics, and currentRead MorePolice Culture, Personality And Stress Factors Essay1893 Words   |  8 Pages In policing, officers are given the role to serve and protect citizens, and carry out justice. In addition, are expected by society to protect lives and property. When a police officer fails to comply with these general principles, he or she is considered deviant. Corruption and misconduct have been present in society since the beginning of policing. An infamous case in American policing history is the Michael Dowd case, where a f ormer NYPD officer was convicted for engaging in numerous criminalRead MoreEssay about Effects of Organizational Culture on Police Decision Making1056 Words   |  5 PagesThis essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions. Every culture is composed of four elements: â€Å"values, norms, beliefs, and expressive symbols† (Peterson, 1979, p. 137). Each police officer is influenced by the police organizational culture during training. After graduation fro the police academy, the officer is influenced by the more experienced officers of the department. Research conducted by several authorsRead MoreAnalysis Of Christine Nixon s Theory On The Culture Of Victoria Police3273 Words   |  14 PagesChristine Nixon’s attempt in transforming the culture of Victoria Police. Through this essay different approaches and theories of management are discussed and incorporated to understand the concepts of change. In response, focus on the fact that how effective leadership can transform the strong management culture within a workplace. This essay would further then demonstrate that people’s psychic prison could result in creating a bad workplace culture. Psychic prison is defined â€Å"as a knack of forRead MoreChanges of Police Culture1411 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction The New Zealand Police is the lead agency responsible for helping the community to decrease or reduce crime, corruption and improve the responsibility of safety and protection in New Zealand. There is a need to make changes to the police culture in order to improve the performance of their organisation. However there are three fundamental errors that need to be addressed which will be discussed in this essay. Firstly, there is a lack of an established sense of urgency which has theRead MoreWestern Australia Police Misconduct And What Culture Needs Be A Safe And Protected Place For Its People2512 Words   |  11 Pagestask and duty of law enforcement officers is to maintain a safe and protected place for its people. Western Australia police is one of the eight authorities in Australia and is primary responsible for handling the world’s biggest single jurisdiction wrapping an area of 2.5 million square kilometres with two regions, fourteen boroughs and one hundred fifty eight police posts. (WA POLICE 2014) However, in a report last 2010 by Trever Paddenbburg of the Sunday Times, one out of ten western Australian officers