6.7. Police Misconduct, Accountability, and Corruption

Corruption Types

Police officers have a considerable amount of power. With one failed swoop, an officer can take a person’s freedom away. That is a tremendous amount of power. An officer is also given the authority to carry a gun and for the protection of either the officer or a person, take the life of a citizen as well. These decisions are dangerous, and unfortunately, at times there are officers who not only overstep their boundaries but jump directly into the pit of corruption.

While the media paints a picture that most police officers are corrupt, this could not be further from the truth. The Bureau of Justice confirmed that only 0.02% of the police officers in the U.S. engage in some type of corruption. While the media makes money selling stories, the police story that starts the five o’clock news is not always true. When the media covers a police shooting for instance, the investigation has not been completed, therefore the only answer the police department will have for the media is ‘no comment.’ A cover-up then comes to mind; however, when the investigation is completed weeks to months later, the media is not always as interested in the story, especially if there is no police corruption. Even more importantly it takes two years to train a new police officer. The same police officer then continually trains every month to ensure the knowledge of current laws and many other tactics are up-to-date. Unless one is a trained commissioned law enforcement officer, there is no way the public, nor media can truly understand why an officer acted and responded the way he or she did, unless they experienced the same circumstance.

No matter the profession, whether it is an actor, a cashier, a president of a non-profit organization, or a police officer, corruption can occur. The focus on law enforcement is more dramatic due to the glamour of the type of work performed. Either way, corruption should not be condoned and if it does occur, the reaction must be swift and stern. Those in law enforcement hold a badge that grants the carrier the authority to take away a person’s rights therefore, the authority that comes with the badge should NEVER be taken for granted.

Grass Eaters

In 1970, The Knapp Commission coined the terms ‘meat eaters’ and ‘grass eaters’ after an exhaustive investigation into New York Police Department corruption. Police officers who were grass eaters accepted benefits. Whether it was a free coffee at the local coffee shop, fifty percent off lunch, or free bottled water from the local convenience store, these cops would take the freebie and not attempt to do the right thing by explaining why they could not accept the benefit and then pay for the benefit. By accepting benefits, the officer was, in turn, agreeing that whoever gave the benefit, i.e., coffee, lunch, etc., was to receive something in return. What if the coffee shop wanted the officer to patrol their shop every morning between the busy hours of six and seven a.m.? Would that be fair to other coffee shop owners who did not give free coffee to the officer? ^[1]

Meat Eaters

These officers expected some tangible item personally from those served, to do their job. Whether it was money ‘shakedown’ to ensure a convenience store was not robbed, or the officer felt there was nothing wrong with stealing from a drug dealer during a drug raid; ‘no one would notice a pound of cocaine missing, right?’ These officers felt entitled and were aggressive in making sure they got what they thought was theirs. If a person has the lifelong goal of being a police officer, then that same person will want to protect the innocent from those criminals who aim to do them harm.

Noble Cause Corruption

Noble-cause corruption is a lot more commonplace than many think. Many officers work twenty-five years and may never see another cop steal something, but they will see noble-cause corruption. Most officers join the force to make the world a better place in one way or another. While officers understand they cannot solve everything alone, they do think they can make a difference. The noble cause is the goal that most officers have to make the world a better and safer place to live. “I know it sounds corny as hell, but I thought I could help people. I wanted to do some good in the world, you know? That’s what every cop answered when asked why he became a police officer. ^[2]

Officers sign on and get hired wanting and striving to do the right thing. However, it is a slippery slope that the officer continually slides on from the academy, through field training, and on into the deeper parts of a police career.

I am the Law. This is the belief that emerges over time, in which officers view what they do as the right thing to do. This is the practical outcome of the adage ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’  A police officer does not have absolute power, but he or she has the backing of the legal system in almost all circumstances.  Behavior can become violent, as with the Rampart CRASH unit.” ^[3]

Therefore, every officer can start out wanting to save the world somehow, but when the real-world job of an officer starts to take hold, it is a problematic grasp to release.