Every country has its own rules and regulations that are made for providing safety to the public and preventing violations of rights. Different institutes, agencies, and departments work for safeguarding the laws and rules so that they would be followed properly. Police is one of the departments that has been empowered by the state or government to maintain discipline of the society. Police consists of a body of officers who represents the civil authority of government and has the responsibility to maintain order, as well as, safety by enforcing laws made by higher authorities. Police detects and investigates criminal activities, and its function is known as policing. It has been observed that power is the only element that makes or breaks a society and for the last few years, corruption has plagued police departments. Corruption has many forms and is one of the most threatening. Police corruption is the misuse of the polices authority for personal interests. Police sometimes lack supervision or control over their activities, which leads to corruption. According to experts, corruption is a historic and pervasive part of several police organizations and claims that police have the right to apply legitimate means of violence to control the movement of individuals and groups, as per the defined rules.
Justice Tankebe, in his research work, spots light on various forms of corruption such as bribery, corruption of authority, direct criminal activities, internal payoffs, protection of illegal activities for personal gains and opportunistic theft, etc. A greater aspect of police corruption has been mentioned in his research which emphasizes that police corruption encourages criminals to violate criminal laws (Jancsics et al, 2019). Unawareness about the rights, empowers police corruption and ignorance of the public as well. The peoples fear of raising a voice against the police is a more threatening factor. Jay S. Albanese, in his research study, claims that favors received for actions typical of a publics position are the main factors that inculcate the drug of corruption in such departments who are supposed to fight against it.
California is regarded as the first third-world state because of the failure to fight against social unrest and police corruption. Victor Davis Hanson emphasized that third world symptomologies are illegal activities, misuse of power, police corruption and nonexistent applicability of the law, etc. Another chief characteristic of California being a third world state is police corruption and the hysterical response who points towards such obvious tragedies and activities. Despite having a nations diverse geography and amenable climate with major natural ports, mining, agriculture, California is regarded as the first third-world state of America. Police corruption is one of the most evident factors that has dragged California in the list of Americans most corrupt states. The recent case of destroying of criminal case files against police officers of Oakland, has revealed the fact that authority in California was misused at the hand of the most privileged institute. Police were involved in the fake trial, investigation and arrest. Files containing thousands of pages with pieces of evidence, hearing transcripts and motions were the only best public record in Alameda County history. Destruction of the Riders files is a matter of extreme corruption of police. This case was ended with the placement of the Oakland Police Department under the federal judges oversight.
Police corruption includes misconduct and as per the reports in 2003 around 119 people become victims of police misconduct and this sort of negative exercise of power makes people doubtful of who would be protecting them if police itself would become a threat for them. Though the department remained under consideration of a federal judges authority (Tankebe et al, 2019). It is not the power that corrupts people, rather it would be right to say, people corrupt powers. Causes of police corruption include desires, greed for power or money, less freedom of making choice, political monopolization, low political transparency, and weak civil participation, etc. Police, despite taking action against the wrong-doers, settle the matters by taking money, personal favor and other briberies. The most evident form of police corruption in California is police taking money from those who should be arrested and punished for violating the state rules. Those who use their influence, power, and money to get away with crime, make people feel inferior and unsafe as protectors become corrupt. According to interview conduct, a charge of police corruption cannot be denied as police officers who bribe people or took money, are sent for trial in court, though the number of police officers who are charged with corruption is quite small, still, it is a good thing. Analysis of the interview reflects that the interviewer is hopeful that things are changing and for good, though a small number of corrupt police officers are sent for trials to the higher court legal authorities. During the interview, the interviewee talks about professionalism, saying that if people who are appointed at the position where they are to protect us, are violating and misusing their power. There are 70,000 police officers in California and if they are not fulfilling the responsibilities that their profession demands, then they are not the people we chose.
The interviewee also asserts that we used to shout about professionalism everywhere and every time. He refers to chapters 5 and 6, asserting that police officers are taught, during training, the steps to take for becoming a good police officer. All the time, we scream of professionalism but if HAC is corrupt, it is not the people for whom a green signal was given, they are not the right people as far as hiring of police officers is concerned. Professor Michale Sellers says that we hire police candidates from the same pool who are already indulged in corruption. We do screening of candidates just as a formality. Albanese et al, 2019). The interviewer also mentions a great article in the newspaper about police corruption. Michale, in his interview, has used an example that the MacFarlane Police Department of California, is a prominent example of police corruption. They hire police officers who are expelled from other police departments. If such news is looked upon, one would come to know how corruption is plaguing California. During hiring of police officers, they are being asked to give an interview and photograph only. They are hardly asked about the things that they should be asked. They are not questioned why they were expelled and are told to meet the qualifying standards, written examination, physical fitness and medical, etc. Agencies should be looked upon that allow such hiring and must be asked for reasons of their dismissal. People question institutes like MacFarlane about hiring such people and wanted to know reasons as to how an expelled officer could possibly be preferred by the MacFarlane Police Department.
It has been stated in the article that Macfarlane was questioned by many about why people fired from other departments were hired by them. Sometimes they did adhere to ethics, started to work with good intentions, and changed the background that once was a source of their disgrace. Michale Sellers has mentioned his experience working with five police departments. He himself, fired corrupt people for stealing and embezzlement. He has also mentioned that he terminated people for being involved in corruption. He closely observed with happens in police departments whose officers engage in corruption. It is hard to accept that the department is supposed to safeguard people from harming activities it itself is involved in e.g. the immoral and illegal activities like corruption.
Police corruption serves as an ethical dilemma that puts a question on the ethics and moral training of the police department. According to David Jancsics, police corruption has enrooted in such depth that officers put their own national security at risk. Like many countries, border protection agencies are alleged with corruption and they have the backing of the police. Police corruption is becoming more common in California, in contrast to other states. David also asserts that there is a need to morally train the candidates who clear the enrollment process in the police department.
Many law enforcement systems are facing the problem of police corruption, making people insecure with those they should trust and expect a fair investigation. Police officers take money from the party at fault and sometimes ask them for personal favors. Officers undermine enforcement of law and take it for granted. In a case like MacFarlane Police Department of California, it has been witnessed that it is not the individuals, sometimes its the department or the police groups who are corrupt and violate law enforcement that they took an oath to protect. In cases like MacFarlane, departments must be asked why they are hiring people who are being expelled by other police departments. It is heartbreaking that most of the law enforcement agencies do not mention or state statistics regarding police corruption (Andersson et al, 2019). Despite knowing about police corruption, they avoid to publicly disclose such news and information due to the fear of loss of public support for forces in fighting against crime. According to Staffan Anderson, police corruption is a great obstacle in fighting crime as it is hard to fight against crime when corruption plague law enforcement systems and institutes. Police corruption does not lead, the honest officers work is fair as they are being challenged by their co-workers who get involved in corruption, for career advancement.
Police, when it indulges in corruption rather than checking illegal activities, protect the criminal which disturbs the whole social system and creates unrest in law enforcement institutions as well. Generally, it has been observed that corrupt police officers provide protection to the wrong-doers and even try to cover up involvement of other officers in complicity. The authority that police officers are being given, is misused when they want something more than what they are paid, i.e. greed for free drinks, meals, gifts, etc. Corruption encourages police officers to commit crimes that they are supposed to prevent in the first place. Some police officers even commit crimes by disguising it as being done by civilians, and at times, innocent ones. Police corruption is becoming common than ever before, especially in states like California, there is a need to take some immediate steps for discouraging police corruption.
The legislation is a most effective deterrent to crime and there must be some legislative changes to be made, for discouraging police corruption. Fines and punishments should be given to the police officers who are found involved in corruption. Stiff sentences should make a part of the legislator against police officers who are engaged in corruption. Policies should be made by the local police departments so that officers could be sacked if they are found to have engaged in corruption. Strict rules should be made to discipline police officers to follow a code of conduct. Police department should be made aware of the harm caused to the society when police gets engage in corruption. It is time for police officers to understand the reality that police corruption makes society unsafe which causes an upsurge in criminal activities.
References
Andersson, S., Anechiarico, F. (2019).Corruption and corruption control Democracy in the balance. Routledge.
Albanese, J. S., Artello, K. (2019). The Behavior of Corruption An Empirical Typology of Public Corruption by Objective Method.Criminology, Crim. Just. L Socy,20, 1.
Tankebe, J. (2019). Cooperation with the Police Against Corruption Exploring the Roles of Legitimacy, Deterrence and Collective Action Theories.The British Journal of Criminology.
Jancsics, D. (2019). Border Corruption.Public Integrity, 1-14.
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