NCJ Number
82156
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 51 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1982) Pages: 8-16
Date Published
1982
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Police chiefs in a southern State were asked on a survey to define certain patterns of police misconduct as corruption, indicated whether their department had rules and regulations covering these behaviors, and mention actions they would take if confronted by these types of behaviors.
Abstract
A mail survey questionnaire was completed by 115 chiefs. Findings indicate that a significant number of police agencies had no formal departmental rules and regulations, and if they had them, most did not specifically mention the patterns of police deviance that were outlined. Police chiefs generally viewed police corruption as involving acts of police misuse of their official position for material reward or gain. However, chiefs viewed such behaviors as sleeping, sex, and drinking on duty as examples of police corruption even though these involve no material gain. This group of respondents is not differentiating between 'wrongness' and police corruption. Most chiefs would handle police corruption through in-house or departmental action except for a police officer committing burglaries (although 25 percent of the chiefs would handle this criminal act in-house). This manner of handling criminal police officers may contribute to corruption. Tables and endnotes are supplied. (Author summary modified)