THE ASPECTS OF POLICE SUBCULTURE

The Aspects of Police Subculture

The Aspects of Police Subculture

Introduction

Police officers are people the society should normally look up to as epitomes of discipline and protectors of law and order, however police behavior in recent years has been anything but exemplary thus rising rise to extreme resentment and distrust in the public. The public no longer trusts or respects police officers levying all sorts of charges against them.

Police behavior is indeed despicable in some cases especially where when we delve deeper into the anthropological and psychological causes of this kind of behavior, we notice that police is influenced by a flawed subculture that profound affects the attitude and behavior of most police officers. On the one hand, this subculture teaches them certain values and beliefs and on the other, it turns the entire police community into a cohesive group that is essentially alienated from the general public.

Discussion

According to Adler, Mueller, and Laufer (1994) police subculture is a "set of norms and values that govern police behavior, brought about by stressful working conditions plus daily interaction with an often hostile public.” (Vadackumchery 2001)

There are two main theories for the explanation of police corruption; the rotten apple theory, the deviant subculture theory. Rotten apple theory states that rotten apples are weak individuals who have slipped during the screening process or deviant individuals who continue their deviance in an environment that gives them more opportunity (Vadackumchery 2001). The basis of the rotten apple theory is a little morally weak individual's presence corrupts everyone else (Rigakos 2001). The rotten apple theory is most popular with police officers and administrators because it charges the whole affair on one highly unethical person, hence a bad apple (Rigakos 2001).

The base of the deviant subculture is that the police subculture itself causes corruption. The opportunity theory is based on the initiative that police work in general, causes corruption. To reduce police corruption there must be stricter screening processes, the police department must be very firm when it comes to corruption and the police subculture must be based on a healthier lifestyle and attitude. They also have the opportunity to use extreme force and steal seized drugs, money, or alcohol without anyone knowing about it (Vadackumchery 2001). One "rotten apple" that slithers through the screening process with opportunity, and the police department and laws condone it, and because of the police subculture, one ...