The Police Subculture

In “A Sketch of the Policeman’s Working Personality,” Jerome Skolnick discusses and analyzes how a police officer’s personal outlook is affected by his or her involvement in police work, creating an “us versus them” mind-set, as well as the frequent inability to “turn off” the police mentality outside of a work environment. While he states that a person’s work has an impact on his or her outlook of the world according to a recurring theme in the sociology of occupations, police work has a particularly strong impact on those cognitive lenses (Skolnick, 1966, p. 2). Because of the nature of their job, police have a tendency to look at the world in a way that makes it

Skolnick begins by concentrating and analyzing certain elements pertaining to the law enforcement profession. The elements Skolnick identifies are danger, authority, and efficiency in the eyes of the public, which all produces unique cognitive and behavioral responses as officers. To Skolnick this is the working personality aforementioned. Understanding this, Skolnick begins the discussion of how police culture plays into a policeman’s working personality. First it is important to realize that police officers are required to respond to assaults against citizens of the community, as well as the properties and possessions of those people. This has several implications. First, “The policeman, because his work requires him to be occupied continually with potential violence, developed perpetual shorthand’s identify certain kinds of people and symbolic assailants, that is, as persons who use gesture, language, and attire that the policeman has come to recognize as a prelude to violence,” (Skolnick, 143). This concept can be trouble to some, as it seems to have a discriminatory feeling

Among police, there are stark differences between male and female officers. Cara E. Rabe-Hemp researched these sex differences by conducting a series of interviews with policewomen. These interviews reveal how policewomen cope with the seemingly impossible task to find a balance between feminine values that they were raised to uphold and masculine values that their male-dominated field demands. According to the individual perspective, employees’ performance is more shaped by their unique personal experiences as opposed to standardized formal training (Britt 185). Since neither police officers’ formal training nor their subculture reduce or eliminate the differences between policemen and policewomen, sex differences have a much more significant

Police corruption can also be explained by the lack of protection and security police feel they have. They also feel like they are being disrespected by individuals in society, which is why they rely on the subculture for protection and support (Skolnick, 1966). The police subculture has created a lot of secrecy within the organization, which contributes to police misconduct. Police officers will often ignore another police officer’s corrupt actions in order to maintain a good reputation within the subculture (Tator & Henry, 2006). For example, 84% of police officers have directly witnessed another officer using more force than necessary out on the streets (US Department of Justice, 2017). However, instead of reporting the acts of others, 52%

Police “working personality” is limited by an unquestionable tacit within the police subculture, surrounded by shifting perceptions, depending on the situation.

As a police officer, the major objectives are to maintain order, enforce the law, protect one’s property, and to save lives. In addition, police are divided into two roles based on how they perform their duties. The two roles of a police officer are a public servant and a crime fighter. A police officer whose role as a public servant is to serve all types of people, as well as criminals. Public servants regularly provide advice and make judgments as to the degree of risk they should take with the public. Many decisions involving risk are relatively easy to make, but others are complex and significant consequences (Kernaghan and Langford, 2016). These risks may involve using force and the consequences could be media backlash or a potential termination. Public servants abide by the oath and uphold the integrity and honor of the organization as an officer. Also, public servant officers like to play it safe because they like to be known as ordinary citizens who like to go home to their

This research question will clearly address the variations of police practices over the past 5 years in Baltimore City and Baltimore County, due to the recent incidents regarding police brutality and corruption. Using Chapter 12 Politics, Power, War, and Peace, will help show the relationships between politics in law enforcement and police officers, which deals with a lot of power and peace. Chapter 12 Politics, Power, War, and Peace, Section Cultural Controls in Maintaining Order states “Every culture has various forms of cultural control to ensure that individuals or groups conduct themselves in ways that support the social order. People who challenge or disturb the order face negative consequences” (W. Haviland; pg 315). In Baltimore

Police Agencies in modern society are a part of the American fabric to serve and protect the American public. The United States currently have more than 15,000 police agencies, (Walker & Katz, 2011). Police Departments across the United States face similar critical issues policing. All police officers face dangers in the job of policing the dangers can emanate from internal and external origins. Police officers have continued to evolve to serve communities by finding better less than lethal alternatives to weapons used. In addition, police departments have continued to keep up with

        I agree with your descriptions that you have given for your positive and negative aspects of police subculture. As I was reading them I notice there could be other meanings to those aspects as well. So I am just giving my opinion on your aspects that you have listed. When you speak about territorial, that could also mean that an officer is more protective of his area that he is assigned too. He/she is more likely to want to do as much as possible for his community, and protective of it too. I really did not think that danger was an positive aspect, but as I thought about the definition, I guess it could. I guess maybe danger would make all police officers a little more closer to one another because of the danger they all can relate

These days, police are often stereotyped as aggressive, corrupt beings. The growing hatred for police officers widens the divide between citizens and law enforcement, causing tension and intensely aggressive feelings on both ends. The recent shootings of young African-American men have also added to the societal hatred of law enforcement. Through media exposure, these shootings have been portrayed as cruel, often times revealing the victim to be an unarmed man.

Police subculture undermines ethics and has a constant influence on officers’ decision-making process, which ultimately leads to misconduct. Police, like most professions, have a secretive yet unique type subculture because the lifestyles of its members are significantly different. Law enforcement officers tend to befriend other officers or people with similar roles within the criminal justice system. Many times, friendships extend to firefighters and other civil service personnel to include military members.

As stated in the reading police have subcultures that help to guide officers actions some being good and others not so good. Pollack (2017) list three factors that help to form these subgroups, "police typically form a homogenous social group, they have a uniquely stressful work environment, they participate in a basically closed social system” (p. 129). The Ramparts scandal took place within the Los Angeles police department which was known as one of the worst police corruptions. These group of police officers had formed their own subculture one where illegal activity was the norm and getting paid on the side from stealing drugs and falsely accusing people was acceptable. If the police officer Perez wasn't caught stealing drugs and forced to get a lesser sentence by turning evidence against the department who knows how many more years the subculture at the LAPD would have continued.

The literature examines the development of police culture and its subcultures, how they shape law enforcement views and behaviors, and the links

American police and subcultural support. This study on the use of excessive force by American police reveals the obstacle of administrations to implement use of force policy. The author connects police subculture to resistance of administrative policy on use of force and gives solid rationale as to the development of behaviors and perceptions within the policing subculture. The goal of the study is to understand why POs tolerate use of force within their organization and how officers view these breaches in department norms.

In policing today, many wonder how police behave, and how their behavior effects them while on patrol, or on other matters. So far, there have been two perspectives, which have been introduced to try and understand law enforcement behavior, with the two perspectives being universalistic perspective, and the particularistic perspective. When trying to contrast the two perspective, we need a short explanation for each perspective. For the universalistic perspective, it focus on how officers are similar to one another, while also sharing a similar characteristics, and behaviors (Schmalleger & Worrall, 2009). Then with the particularistic perspective, it states that each individual officer is unique when compared to other officers in matters