Corruption in the Police Force
Police corruption takes many forms such as gratitude, bribery, extortion, police brutality and abuse of power. Research suggests that the biggest hindrance in the war against police corruption is the code of silence, a widespread culture of the force that prevents officers from revealing information about their corrupt colleagues. The scenario is unfortunate because police corruption undermines the law, reduces public trust in the force and misuses tax paid by hardworking citizens. The “Black Lives Matter campaign” blame corruption among the police as the force behind the killings of many black men in the U.S.
The widespread reach of police corruption in various cities in the country calls for immediate action to control the menace. In the wake of the September 11 terror attack in New York, the Washington Post reported that the police stole hundreds of millions of dollars from innocent motorists. The police, given a task to investigate drivers into and out of New York, used the opportunity to access social security information and other personal details of innocent drivers, which they later used to steal money from the unsuspecting drivers. Theft has not been the only case of corruption; reports from the media always link drug distribution to some high-ranking police officers in the government showing that some officers are involved in crime. Other cases of malpractice include the cops asking for sexual favors from women in to vindicate them of their crimes without going through the due process of justice. The justice system needs to address police corruption as a way of improving the relationship between the forces and the public.
For instance, it is important for various departments to adopt the El System as a tool to monitor performance in stations. Furthermore, developing performance indicators will help promote accountability from officers in various departments. The government should enact measures such as demotion, firing, and incarceration to curb this social menace. Finally, it is important for police training to advocate for ethical practice.
References
Police Corruption (n.d.) Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/police-corruption/
Sallah Michael Sallah, Robert O'Harrow Jr., Steven Rich, Gabe Silverman, M., O'Harrow, R., Jr., Rich, S., Silverman, G., Chow, E., & Mellnik, T. (2014, September 6). Aggressive police take hundreds of millions of dollars from motorists not charged with crimes. Retrieved April 19, 2016, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/investigative/2014/09/06/stop-and-seize/
