Police Subculture
Researchers have often emphasized the existence of certain culture among law enforcement officers, known as the police subculture. The feeling of a close community promoted collaboration and mutual assistance between police officers, but at the same time, it can be one of the reasons of police brutality.
Police officers are often viewed as representatives of a certain community which shares common values or, as Herbert puts it, “a distinct subgroup with a particular ethos that strongly influences their daily practices” (343). An important element of the police subculture is the feeling of a close community where everyone is bound to each other. This feeling is sometimes enhanced with the hostility towards people who are not representatives of this group, sometimes called “siege mentality”. Because of the prevalence of men in law enforcement agencies, some researchers view the police subculture as a masculine or even “patriarchal” one. According to Nhan (4), while the police subculture does not exclude women completely, it makes them adopt the male culture.
The main advantage of the police subculture is mutual assistance cultivated among police officers. Collaboration and mutual work increase the productivity of the work of law enforcement agencies thus making this component of the police subculture a good thing. Besides, the research shows that the police subculture has the protective function as it helps police officers cope with stress more effectively (Rose and Unnithan, 279). At the same time, the particular police culture may lead to negative consequences, such as the increase of police brutality and even violence committed by police officers against people viewed as hostile to their groups.
Therefore, the analysis shows that the main elements of the police subculture are the feeling of a close group and arguably the prevalence of the masculine culture. While it is useful for the collaboration between police officers, sometimes the police culture may promote the increase of police brutality.
Works Cited
Herbert, Steve. "Police Subculture Reconsidered". Criminology, vol 36, no. 2, 1998, pp. 343-370. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1111/j.1745-9125.1998.tb01251.x.
Nhan, Johnny. "Police Culture". The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2013, pp. 1-6. Wiley-Blackwell, doi:10.1002/9781118517383.wbeccj371.
Rose, Trina and Prabha Unnithan. "In Or Out Of the Group? Police Subculture and Occupational Stress". Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, vol 38, no. 2, 2015, pp. 279-294. Emerald, …
