The Police Subculture:
•Cynicism
• Clannishness
• Secrecy
• Isolation from others
(The “blue curtain”)
The Police Subculture:
Police are the only real crime fighters.
Only the police understand police.
Loyalty to one another is paramount.
The "War on Crime" can only be won by bending a few rules.
The public doesn’t support the police.
Patrol work is the pits. Detective work is glamorous.
The Police Personality
Dogmatic Authoritarian Suspicious Racist Hostile Insecure Conservative Cynical
What Accounts For the Police Personality?
The nature of police work attracts candidates who are by nature cynical, authoritarian and secretive.
The process of being socialized into the job of policeperson causes the traits to develop.
Cynicism in Policing
Increases with years of service
If college graduates are denied promotions it increases
Military type training academies cause self cynicism
Police Styles
Discretion
Police Brutality
Abusive language
Unnecessary use of force or coercion
Threats
Harassment
Deadly Force
Data suggests about 250 people are killed by the police each year. Unreported data indicate this number may actually approach 1,000 each year.
A disproportionate number of police shootings involve minorities. However, if such factors as armed suspects, violent crime and attacks on officers are considered, racial differences are insignificant.
Factors Related to Police Shootings
Characteristics of the police jurisdiction
Exposure to violence
Workload of officers
Availability of firearms (gun density)
Social variables of individuals in the area
Administrative policies
Race of officer and suspects
Controlling Use of Deadly Force
Tennessee v. Garner
Put an end to any local police policy that allowed officers to shoot unarmed or nondangerous offenders if they resisted or attempted to flee.
Use of Force Continuum
http://www.mdcbowen.org/p2/bh/club/victims.htm