NCJ Number
79292
Journal
Tijdschrift voor de politie Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: (1979) Pages: 173-189
Date Published
1979
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Intended to stimulate objective discussion among police personnel in the wake of a widely publicized Amsterdam (Netherlands) case of police corruption, this article reviews two 1972 investigations of corrupt police practices in New York and London.
Abstract
The sociological approach views the phenomenon of police corruption within the context of police organization and society at large rather than focusing on the greed and weaknesses of particular individuals. Flawed management and the dilemmas of police work in coping with the degenerative aspects of the social fabric contribute to the environmental conditions for potential corruption. In particular, they create opportunities for crime rings to infiltrate all levels of police rank and file -- usually in connection with law enforcement of the so-called victimless crimes of prostitution, drug trafficking, and gambling. The scandals in New York and London were both examples of hard, professional corruption, characterized by systematic organization, the circulation of huge sums of money, and the involvement of high-level administrative officials. Police unethical conduct included receiving monetary kickbacks and allowing criminal activity to take place under police protection. Specifically, the investigations reviewed are the 1972 Knapp Commission Report on the New York Police Department and that of Chief Superintendent Bill Moody, who investigated the London Metropolitan Police in the same year. Both scandals resulted in thorough internal reorganization of the respective police departments. Photographs and 17 endnotes are given.