What conflicts do you see between the formal law enforcement code of ethics and the police subculture or?

Question

"Cop Code"? What ethical problems might these conflicts create? How are these two different ethical codes tied to public perceptions of the role of law enforcement?

Answer 1

wow, disregard everything "officer friendly" just said. sorry but its not like police corruption and cover ups were rampant in the 60's and 70's and now today they are all magically gone and everybody is playing it straight. things are 10 times worse nowadays then they ever were in the 60's and 70's. YES cops cover up for each other all the time, they also turn a blind eye to each others f*ck ups. look at "internal affairs", the very name says "we police ourselves, stay out of our business". internal affairs RARELY prosecutes cops, and when they do the cops are even more rarley sent to prison. Look at the two former detectives they just caught in vegas. they were head of the mob unit in new york in the 80s and 90s and they were doing hits, set ups, and taking pay offs for the mob. in philly last summer they caught a judge and a detective for the DA's narc task force in a hotel room doing coke. they were arrested by the cop, but they got relaesed and the case was dropped. surprise surprise. the cover up was wide spread, even newspapers were paid off so they wouldnt report it. cop code at its best! sorry but we dont live in a perfect world like the guy above me thinks, and police corruption is RAMPANT. i have seen cops lie on the stand, and i myself have lied on the stand. the truth is there is a war out there, and everybody tries to win it by any means. sometimes you f*ck somebody and sometimes you get f*cked. and thats the way it really is.



coastiem: yeah i have been a victim of the system, im not saying i never did anything wrong though, i did plenty wrong. and yes i know all about DA's and i hate them even more than cops, they are the scumb of the earth. but the Asker didnt mention anything about DA's. he asked about the blue code, and why cops cover up for each other and turn a blind eye. stop trying twist things around. oh and go ahead and try to get my ID or go to the courts or whatever you think you can do, i dont care. perjury is nearly impossible to prove. how could you prove what case it was? or what i said? even if you could there is no way they would extridite me all the way back there over some admission on the internet. sorry, not happening. i know what i can and cant say on here. so save the empty threats for somebody who might get scared.

Answer 2

Well, as you can see from your answer's, there are some people who have been "wronged" by the system and those who work under the system. There is no "cop code" that I know of and I have been in law enforcement for a long time now. Yes, there are the bad apples, but most apples have stronger morals and ethics to not get spoiled with those few. One does have to remember, " Police officers do not make the laws, but we do have to enforce them."

Answer 3

The conflict between the formal law enforcement code of ethics and the police subculture or "COP CODE" is that all police officers are also human beings first. They are fathers or mothers, husbands and wives, daughters and sons and just people who have chosen mostly to help and protect and, in a round a bout way make society better.

The conflict is not that of a "group" but better defined on an individual basis. When a person decides to become a police officer they are deciding to lose their circle of friends, be treated differently and become a very small minority. Even if they don't plan on changing or becoming "someone else" they will... eventually.

Soon after becoming a police officer your circle of friends becomes other officers because they are the only ones who actually know what the hell you are talking about and they will listen and understand and have had the same experiences.

Police officers see things that aren't meant to be seen and never have time to process the seedy nasty disgusting things that they see on a daily basis. They turn to other officers and "vent" to relieve stress or tension or to just plain feel better.

So this is why the public percieves police culture as so closed and secret. It's not really. It is just the way police conduct their affairs. But the public goes on thinking that everything is a "scam" or "cover up" or hidden under the "thin blue line." It's amusing to me because I always felt the same way. Now with 7 years on the job I know it is the farthest thing from the truth. I've been to job related trainings miles and miles from home with other officers from all over the United States and even though I may not know anyone at the training I can sit down with an officer from New Mexico, California, and Florida and we all can talk like we grew up together because we all have Cop Experience that is similar and have all been in similar situations.

I think the ethical problems you are hinting to may be tied to this "buddy bond" or "blue brotherhood" or whatever you wish to call it. I'm sure there was a time where it played an important role in how police conducted business on a daily basis. At that time police organizations were there for "enforcement" and recieved terrible pay and terrible benefits, if any. Listening to stories from cops who served the public in the 60's and 70's it was a different time and unfortunate that police officers were seen as the "enemy" to the public.

With increase in pay, strict hiring requirements, and a more business like approach to daily activities there are not many organizations that can conduct business now as was once done 3 decades ago. Not to say a bad apple can't slip through the cracks every now and then because we all know they do but most officers are not going to jeopardize their income, family, reputation, retirement, and job for one of these bad apples and most officers have probably never felt pressure to "do the wrong thing" or "cover up a brother." If you mess up you mess up. Cops are people and the organizations they work for know this. Accept the mistake, be honest about it, deal with it, and move on.

The other conflict you may be talking about is the "life experience" one. Cops with much life experience may experience conflict during their daily routine.

Example.

I pull over a vehicle with dad, mom, and 3 crying kids coming from walmart. Dad and mom are barely making ends meat and it's obvious. They were mildly speeding. Everything checks out... am I going to write a ticket to these people?

Probably not... been there done that and I can sympathize with what is going on.

Take the new hire who is 22, fresh out of the academy, still living with mom and dad. He will probably write them because it was an obvious violation of traffic law in his jurisdiction and a statistic to boot.... is he helping that family?

No.

The important thing to remember is cops are people and any "Cop Code" that the public sees or imagines isn't really there. The only "Cop Code" that exists is that we all took an oath to protect and serve. We all are in it to help and nothing more and that makes us all brothers and sisters.

Hope this helps.

Answer 4

Ahh, JJ sounds like another "victim of the system." He has never done anything wrong and he has been wrongly accused everyti......oh wait, he just admitted he has lied on the stand. Perhaps we should subpoena your registration info from Yahoo and inform your local law enforcement office so the local DA office can seek prosecution.



What you people don't seem to get is that once you are arrested, the police officer's job is done. It is the DA who pursues your case, gets you convicted, and recommends sentencing. Sheesh... some of you people have victim syndrome so bad it makes me chuckle.



As to the original poster, if you could please post a link to the details of what the "cop code" is, I would be glad to address that and give you an answer.

Answer 5

In response to changes in the law which forbade police to "coerce" confessions but allowed them to elicit admissions by deceiving suspects who have waived their right to remain silent. Henceforth, over the last fifty to sixty years, the methods, strategies, and consciousness of American police interrogators have been transformed: psychological persuasion and manipulation have replaced physical coercion as the most salient and defining features of contemporary police interrogation. Contemporary police interrogation is routinely deceptive.[6] As it is taught and practiced today, interrogation is shot through with the deception. Police instructions to, are authorized to--and do—the trick, lie, and cajole to elicit so-called "voluntary" confessions.

Answer 6

The biggest conflict is the impulse for cops to uphold the law *their* way. They fall into mediocrity and abuse when a power struggle gives the citizen the upper hand