The changing nature of police corruption

Police corruption, the misuse of an officer's official position for material reward or gain, has been a perennial problem for policing since the advent of public police. The new police occupation created by the 1829 Metropolitan Police Act was a morally dangerous occupation. This became painfully clear with its transportation to America where local control of the police was constitutionally mandated. However, police corruption is not an American phenomenon; all countries with public policing have felt its effect. The seeds for corruption were planted in the new occupation of policing, i.e.: largely unsupervised discretion over conceptions of public morality not shared by all members of the community and the unique opportunities which arise from the activities under their jurisdiction and authority. Overtime, the nature of the corrupt acts have changed with changes in general social norms, new technology, the political climate, renewed interest in police accountability, and changes in the police occupation. Police corrupt acts have ebbed and flowed along with changing attitudes toward vice-alcohol, gambling and drugs. Nevertheless, the "root" causes of corruption, the nature of the occupation have remained the same. This paper examines the changing nature of police corrupt acts since the widespread scandals of the 1970s and 80s. Particularly, it examines the spread from municipal agencies to all levels of government (local, county, state and federal; even the famed FBI has been touched by scandal), the effects of the "War on Drugs the movement from systemic corruption to individual (rotten apples) and group behavior-"badge packing criminals", the effects of changes in departmental control systems, and the likelihood of police whistle blowers. A content analysis of major U.S. media reports of police corruption provides the predominant source of data for the study.