StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture - Research Paper Example

Cite this document
Summary
POLICE ETHICAL CULTURE (Blue Wall of Silence) Name of Student (author) Student ID Number: Name of Course: Professor’ Name: Name of School (University) Estimated Word Count: 954 December 15, 2011 POLICE ETHICAL CULTURE Introduction This paper tackles the unique police culture prevailing in today's modern police forces…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER97.9% of users find it useful
The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture"

POLICE ETHICAL CULTURE (Blue Wall of Silence) ID Number: of of School (University) Estimated Word Count: 954 Date of Submission: December 15, 2011 POLICE ETHICAL CULTURE Introduction This paper tackles the unique police culture prevailing in today's modern police forces. This branch of government service has developed, over the years, its own lingo and culture that is peculiar and understood only by those who are in the police force. This culture is a necessity in their profession as a way to help them solve crimes and also as a way for police members to cope with the pressures and frustrations of their job.

In particular, the police culture had come up with their own ethical and moral principles which are sometimes at variance with the law which they are tasked to defend and uphold. This can have adverse consequences if this takes precedence on their primary duty of protecting the citizens of this country and give more priority to secrecy. Discussion People who work in the police force encounter a number of challenges related to the job. Among these issues are risk to life and limbs, low salary, dealing with bureaucracy, pressure from peers and supervisors, criticisms from the public and government officials, corruption, drug dealings among their own members and time away from their families as it is a 24-hour job.

All these make them sometimes vulnerable to temptations and failings which can markedly affect in many ways their performance on the job. The suicide rates among police officers are also one of the highest among several professions. It is therefore not very surprising that police members are finding ingenious ways of coping with the pressures of their jobs. One of these is the so-called “blue wall of silence” which is a pact not to rat on each other and maintain silence always. The origin of this term came from the blue uniforms that police members wear.

This gave rise to the perceived reluctance of police officers to squeal on their fellow officers in cases of conflicts of interest, for example, between testifying against a fellow officer for being accused of certain crimes against other persons or in cases of police brutality. This kind of behavior is the subject of much debate, because police members have a kindred feeling for fellow officers. This culture of silence is fostered by the “us-versus-them” mentality in which members have to take care of their own first before they take care of other people.

Ironically, many police officers feel they have been victimized by their own workplace environments (Samaha, 2005, p. 175) that had justified this powerful but unspoken and unwritten code of silence and secrecy. When lives and careers are on the line, this is a very powerful incentive and thought as one of the causes of the “blue wall of silence” among police officers anywhere in the world. A feeling of taking care of one's own first before anyone else prevails. It is a coping mechanism in a world that is full of danger, from criminals and other bad elements.

A police officer who breaks this loyal code of silence is ostracized and severely penalized in many ways. Some most famous examples of this breach in silence and its adverse consequences was the movie “Serpico” which was based on a true story. Another case was that of O. J. Simpson where the police officers made mistakes in their initial investigation and gathering of crime scene evidence but nobody wanted to speak out about their amateurish mistakes which lost the case, eventually. Most police officers work as teams and rarely individually; the most common is having a buddy as team partner upon whom one relies completely for support and life itself.

It is therefore hard to break a strong bond between two officers working in close tandem and can give an idea of being above the law. Officers who witnessed misconduct among their peers fail to report such behavior; it was deemed disloyal if one squeals on another officer. Many who saw such wrongdoing are too afraid to report them for fear of being shunned and black-balled, the ways by which pressure on loyalty is enforced without actually shooting some people. The “blue wall of silence” involves a deliberate withholding of crucial information when these are needed in critical investigations.

In many cases, it is the higher-ranking officers and administrators who themselves keep the crucial information away from political higher-ups, effectively stalling any efforts at police reforms. The two characteristics by which the police organization can be described are social isolation and the resultant group loyalty, which in turn produces its code of silence (Hess, Orthmann & Cho, 2010, p. 516). A police department can have two types of ethics, the formal code and an informal code. Conclusion The informal code of ethics results in the police culture that in turn is fostered by the belief that the politicians and the public are very demanding.

This may promote or require some unethical behaviors on the mistaken belief that the war on crime requires bending some rules. A police culture based on this belief is predicated on the requirement that loyalty counts the most. Some of the gray areas pertaining to police ethics are the use of deception to catch criminals, the acceptance of gratuities (for example, free coffee that can start them towards corruption) and also professional courtesy with other government agencies. The blue wall of silence plays a large part in these activities; it becomes an integral part of the police occupational culture in many ways in which good behavior and bad habits are merged (Barker, 2011, p. 127). This wall of silence can be dangerously extended to such acts like evidence tampering and the use of excessive force.

A common technique like a choke hold can lead to violence (Coady & Coady, 2000, p. 299). Reference List Barker, T. (2011). Police ethics: crisis in law enforcement. Springfield, IL, USA: Charles C. Thomas Publishers. Coady, C. A. J. & Coady, T. (2000). Violence and police culture. Victoria, Australia: Melbourne University Publishing, Limited. Hess, K. M., Orthmann, C. H. & Cho, H. L. (2010). Police operations: theory and practice. Florence, KY, USA: Cengage Learning. Samaha, J. (2005). Criminal justice.

Florence, KY, USA: Cengage Learning.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture Research Paper”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/law/1440094-the-blue-wall-of-silence-and-police-ethical
(The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture Research Paper)
https://studentshare.org/law/1440094-the-blue-wall-of-silence-and-police-ethical.
“The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture Research Paper”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/law/1440094-the-blue-wall-of-silence-and-police-ethical.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Blue Wall of Silence and Police Ethical Culture

Thoughts about the Police Practice of the Blue Wall of Silence

Author's Name: Due Date: the blue wall of silence: A Cultural Enigma within the Police Force One of the key elements of good institutional governance is the concept of “accountability”.... Due the blue wall of silence: A Cultural Enigma within the Police Force One of the key elementsof good institutional governance is the concept of “accountability”.... “Behind the blue wall of silence: Essay.... Functioning under the “blue wall of silence” (Blue Shield), there has been a general uneasiness among police officers concerning whistle blowing on the misconducts perpetuated by fellow colleagues within the force....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Police Ethics and Corruption

The police believe in the blue wall of silence which makes them free of being accountable of any misconduct.... The police culture Police culture refers to the way of living of the police, the tasks they do, the hard work, and their relationship with their fellow officers.... The police have a culture that emphasizes acting, not introspection (Pollock, 2011).... Other factors leading to devilment of attitudes, behaviors, and perceptions that relate to the police culture reinforces their interactions....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper

The Blue Wall of Silence

the blue wall of silence (Name of the Student) Topic: the blue wall of silence ‘Politics is the last resort for the scoundrels' opined George Bernard Shaw.... The concept “the blue wall of silence” is first coined in New York, USA to describe the friendly and protective disposition of the police personnel in defense of their colleagues in the department and that is done for a wrong cause.... Whistle in an important little instrument in the life of policemen but when he does not blow it against a fellow policeman who deserves to be reprimanded and punished he adds one more brick to “the blue wall of silence....
11 Pages (2750 words) Term Paper

The Issue of Police Misconduct

The author examines the issue of police misconduct which is a serious one – and is not going to be easily solved.... nbsp;… In March of 2000, in Louisville, KY, two police officers were awarded medals for shooting an 18-year-old black man who, they say, was trying to run over them with his truck (Cose 2000).... An investigation followed, and it was discovered that the police officers were perhaps not so correct in their judgment (Cose 2000)....
7 Pages (1750 words) Term Paper

The Blue Wall of Silence: Myth or Reality

The essay “the blue wall of silence: Myth or Reality?... One of the most important concepts to talk about is what is called the “the blue wall of silence” the code of silence among police officers that protect them.... Joseph McNamara, a former chief of police in Kansas City, thinks that current police culture is to blame for these problems that end up reinforced by the blue wall of silence.... We might be inclined to look the other way when our partner makes a mistake in course of duty (the code of silence does not usually extend to looking the other way while an officer takes bribes), but we should also remember that as police officers we represent a very honorable tradition and also the state....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Rationale and Motivation for Overt Ethical Policy

The paper "Rationale and Motivation for Overt ethical Policy" discusses that mental discord in managers arises out of a conflict in 'what they believe' and in 'what they practice' (Ingram).... hellip; The front office staff has to maintain ethical and decent behavior with the customers, as they (staff) are the representatives of the company.... It has been observed that the younger age group are more tolerant of ethical behavior.... Hooker (2003) argues that ethics exist because ethical behaviour does not always pay....
9 Pages (2250 words) Coursework

What Are the Corporations' Ethical Dilemmas

This was the general trend at LM which demonstrates a lack of any ethical values or culture.... The paper “What Are the Corporations' ethical Dilemmas” explores certain cases (e.... LM's headhunting of a specialist with secret business papers) which demonstrate a lack of ethical values in some corporations unlike other brands (e.... Due to its inefficient ethical standards, LM came into serious controversies from different organizations and different groups of people....
15 Pages (3750 words) Case Study

The Code of Silence among Police Officers

If everyone around is behaving worse than the social standard for ethical behaviour is very low: it's that much hard to do good.... In fact, there may even be negative peer pressure on you that forces you to conform to the low ethical standard.... That's why ethical codes can be so important in getting a group of people to agree and act in line with a common standard.... The paper describes police officers like all public service employees that require a code of ethics or responsibilities to help guide them their work day....
5 Pages (1250 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us