Issues in Policing –
Corruption, Job Stress,
Discretion and Excessive
Force
Corruption
Why is policing so susceptible to bribery
and corruption?
What could be one effect of police
corruption?
Brainstorm one method that could be used
to control/stop police corruption.
Notes
Types
~”Grass Eaters” officers who occasionally engage in illegal or
unethical activities
~”Meateaters” officers who actively seek ways to make money
illegally while on duty
Examples
Bribery: accepting cash/gifts
Chiseling: demanding discounts or freebies
Extortion: threat of enforcement
Favoritism: giving breaks to family and friends
Mooching: accepting freebies
Perjury: lying for other officers on the stand
Prejudice: unequal enforcement of the law
Premeditated: planned burglaries/theft
Shakedown: taking items from a crime scene
Shopping: taking small items
Controlling Corruption
• Selecting/maintaining officers with high
moral standards
• Police policies and discipline
• Proactive internal affairs unit
• Uniform enforcement of the law
• Outside review and special prosecutors
• Court review and oversight
Job Stress
Police work has long been identified as
one of the most stressful of all occupations
and many police officers suffer each year
from the deleterious effects of a job that
tests their physical and emotional limits.
Are there ways that you handle stress or
that you can brainstorm that would work
well for police officers when attempting to
limit their job stress?
Notes
Job Stress: The harmful physical and emotional outcomes that occur
when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities,
resources, or needs of the worker.
Effects of Stress
• Headaches
• Difficulty in Concentrating
• Short Temper
• Upset Stomach
• Job Dissatisfaction
• Abuse of Alcohol and Drugs
• Low Morale
“Fixes”
~ Stress Management: Discussions with health professionals; regular
exercise; relaxation techniques …
~ Stress Reduction: Organizational changes; job redesign; excellent
public safety equipment …
Excessive Force
What would be your personal definition of
excessive force?
Is there ever a time when excessive force
is ok?
Notes
Excessive Force: A measure of coercion beyond
that necessary to control participants in a conflict.
Not only is the persistent use of excessive force
by the police against citizens unethical, civily
wrong, and criminally illegal, but it also creates a
situation where nobody wins.
Research reveals that police brutality does not
occur as often as some people might think.
Shoot or Don’t Shoot?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfi3Nd
h3n-g
The greatest concern over the use of force by police
has to do with the infliction of death or serious injury
on citizens or criminal suspects.
Model Penal Code
Use of deadly force is not justifiable unless:
1. The arrest is for a felony.
2. The person effecting the arrest is authorized to act
as a peace officer.
3. The actor believes that the force employed creates
no substantial risk of injury to innocent persons.
4. The actor believes that: a) the crime involved
conduct including the use of deadly force, b) there
is risk that the person to be arrested will cause
death or serious bodily injury if apprehension is
delayed.
Discretion
Discretion is the exercise of individual
judgment, instead of formal rules. The
issue of police discretion is very
controversial. Some believe that the
discretion of police officers should be
reduced. Other people argue that we
should acknowledge that officers operate
with great discretion and not attempt to
limit it. What do you think?
Notes
Full Enforcement: A practice in which the police make an
arrest for every violation of law that comes to their
attention.
Selective Enforcement: The practice of relying on the
judgment of the police leadership and rank-and-file
officers to decide which laws to enforce.
For most violations of the law, a police officer can usually
exercise a number of options:
1. Taking no action at all if the officer deems that
appropriate for the situation.
2. Giving a verbal warning to stop the illegal action.
3. Issuing a written warning for the violation.
4. Issuing a citation to the perpetrator to appear in court.
5. Making a physical arrest in serious matters or in
situations with repeat offenders.
Factors affecting discretion:
• The nature of the crime.
• Departmental policies.
• The relationship between the victim and
the offender. (domestic violence)
• The amount of evidence.
• The preference of the victim.
• The demeanor of the suspect.
• The legitimacy of the victim.
• Socioeconomic status. (racial profiling)
Driving While Black
• Simply put, racial profiling.
• A black male is 31% more likely to be pulled over by
police.
• In 2011, just over 9% of whites were pulled over as
compared to over 13% blacks and 15% Native
Americans.
• More whites are pulled over for speeding as compared to
blacks and Hispanics.
• More blacks and Hispanics are pulled for vehicle defects
and record checks as compared to whites.
• 6.5% of blacks and Hispanics are searched after being
pulled as compared to 2% of whites.
Activity
1. Out of the 10 examples, which do you think is
the worst? Why? What do you think should be
done to officers found guilty of each example
of corruption?
2. Write a short statement to the editor of a local
newspaper expressing your opinion of police
corruption and what you think can be done
about it.
3. Read the handout, “Police Corruption: The
Crime That’s Not Going Down.” What are the
effects/cost of police corruption?
4. Read the article, “Gangsta Cops.” Summarize
your reaction to the problems with the LAPD’s
special unit.
Activity
1.
2.
3.
Create a list of ten things that might cause a law
enforcement stress and at-least one way that could
relieve/reduce the stress of each item.
Read the handout for the Centre for Suicide
Prevention and answer the following questions: what is
suicide by cop; what is at-least one reason someone
would attempt suicide by cop; what is the impact of
suicide by cop?
Read the NY Times article, “3 cases of ‘suicide by
cop.” What is your initial impression of the 3 cases, do
you think it is suicide by cop? What do you think of Dr.
Drylie’s opinion that nearly 1/3 of the 300 justifiable
shootings annually are suicide by cop? When given
more details about the 3 stories, does your opinion
change? Do you think more training is needed like Dr.
Drylie suggest?
Activity
Read about each of the 3 famous cases of
police brutality.
For each case:
1. Summarize the facts of the case.
2. State your opinion/reaction to the case.
Activities
1. Create 5 possible situations in which a police
officer would have to use discretion when
handling the situation. Create 3 possible
solutions to each situation. Then explain which
solution you would prefer if you were the police
officer handling the situation and why.
2. Read the report, “Driving while Black: Racial
Profiling on Our Nation’s Highways.” Which
of the five recommendations do you agree?
Why? Which do you most disagree with?
Why?
Homework
Visit the ACLU website on racial profiling at
www.aclu.org/profiling.
Summarize some of their opinions as to
what police departments can do to prevent
racial profiling.