Law Enforcement Deviance the Rampart Term Paper

Both of these cases indicate that police deviance continues to exist, partly because the stakes are so high, and the rewards are so great for officers who successfully steal or become corrupt in the system. Most of the corruption stems from money and greed, and when it is present every day in the officers' lives, it is difficult for at least some to resist temptation. It also seems that officers are paid relatively little in the terms of the risks they take, and seeing so many opportunities for corruption around them may tempt some of them to engage in illegal and deviant activities simply because the opportunities are so great, and risk of being caught much smaller than if they were not on the force.

There seem to be several different methods of controlling this deviance. First and foremost, supervisors and administration need to keep closer watch on officers, especially those engaged in special operations such as the CRASH program in Rampart. Instead of giving officers free reign when they bring in favorable results; they still need to be monitored and supervised, perhaps even more closely. There should be a system of checks and balances on officers, evidence, and what they have access to, and there should be a stronger sense of right and wrong with officers, too, rather than the "us against them" mentality the report cites. You cannot assume that all police officers are above reproach and honest. The management must assume that some officers cannot resist too much temptation, and so, perhaps time in one area should be limited - moving officers from location to location from time to time might cut down on this behavior as well.

References

Editors. (2000). Report of the Rampart independent review panel. Retrieved 2 Nov. 2007 from the LAcity.org Web site: http://www.lacity.org/oig/rirprpt.pdf.

Muir, J. (2006). Police admit planting evidence. Retrieved 2 Nov. 2007 from the Orange County Register Web site: http://www.ocregister.com/ocregister/homepage/abox/article_1371805.php.

Murphy, S. (2006). Boston police corruption case detailed. Retrieved 2 Nov. 2007 from the Boston Globe Web site: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/08/19/boston_police_corruption_case_detailed/.