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Date: April 29, 2024 Mon
Time: 11:26 pm
Time: 11:26 pm
Results for blue wall of silence
2 results foundAuthor: Fric, Pavol Title: Crossing the Thin Llue Line: An international annual review of anti-corruption strategies in the police. 2001 edition. Summary: No matter what form it takes, corruption inside the police force poses one of the gravest dangers to the democratic functioning of society. The police should be an institution that protects citizens and society from those who snub law and order. However, due to the nature of the work performed by police officers (24/7 direct contact with both the public and the criminal underworld), they are prime targets for those who want to break the law and avoid prosecution. And when, instead of following the rule of law, police officers themselves break the law or lure other citizens into doing so, their actions create many problems, eroding the public’s faith in the rule of law, justice, and democratic institutions. Unfortunately, the amount of empirical information available on the corruption of police officers and the measures undertaken in order to fight this threat is rather limited. We are uncertain whether to blame this on a lack of interest among independent researchers in the field, or on the proverbial "blue wall of silence" from police officers. Nevertheless, this lacuna has led us to the idea of launching an annual review to re-evaluate the anti-corruption strategies within police forces world-wide. We believe that, by making such information publicly available, "crossing the thin blue line" will become more difficult. This year's review consists of the results of experts' investigations and case studies opinionated by distinguished experts. The first part of this study discusses in general outlines the anti-corruption strategies employed by selected countries, the possible factors influencing the choice of the strategies undertaken and the effectiveness of the specific measures used in the fight against police corruption. Countries' profiles, including detailed information about anti-corruption strategies applied in 25 countries and information about specific examples of corrupt behaviour by police officers, are presented in the second part of the study. The third part is conceptualised as an expansion of the survey's results. We have asked a distinguished international circle of experts in the field to offer their opinion on the case studies written by a investigative journalist familiar with police corruption. These experts' task was to map out an effective strategy or elements of a strategy that would help to diminish or minimise the occurrence of corrupt behaviour. Details: Prague: Transparency International, 2001. 105p. Source: Internet Resource: Accessed August 10, 2011 at: http://old.transparency.cz/pdf/crossing.pdf Year: 2001 Country: International URL: http://old.transparency.cz/pdf/crossing.pdf Shelf Number: 122355 Keywords: Blue Wall of SilenceCorruptionPolice CorruptionPolice EthicsPolice Misconduct |
Author: Hagedorn, John M. Title: Crime, Corruption and Cover-ups in the Chicago Police Department Summary: The Chicago Police Department has a legacy of both heroism and corruption. On the one hand, the department's officers risk their lives on a daily basis to enforce the law, protect the public and preserve the peace. On the other hand, Chicago has a checkered history of police scandals and an embarrassingly long list of police officers who have crossed the line to engage in brutality, corruption and criminal activity. An analysis of five decades of news reports reveals that since 1960, a total of 295 Chicago Police officers have been convicted of serious crimes, such as drug dealing, beatings of civilians, destroying evidence, protecting mobsters, theft and murder. Moreover, the listing of police convicted of crimes undoubtedly underestimates the problem of corruption in the Chicago Police Department (CPD). The list does not include undetected and unreported illegal activity, serious misconduct resulting in internal disciplinary action, and officers who retire rather than face charges. Our analysis of police corruption in Chicago yields four major findings. First, corruption has long persisted within the CPD and continues to be a serious problem. There have been 102 convictions of Chicago police since the beginning of 2000. Second, police officers often resist reporting crimes and misconduct committed by fellow officers. The "blue code of silence," while difficult to prove, is an integral part of the department's culture and it exacerbates the corruption problems. However last November, a federal jury found that the City of Chicago and its police culture were partially responsible for Officer Anthony Abbate's brutal beating of a female bartender. After the civil trial to assess damages, the victim's attorney declared, "We proved a code of silence at every level in the Chicago Police Department." Third, overtime a large portion of police corruption has shifted from policemen aiding and abetting mobsters and organized crime to officers involved with drugs dealers and street gangs. Since the year 2000, a total of 47 Chicago law enforcement officers were convicted of drug and gang related crimes. The department's war on drugs puts police officers, especially those working undercover, in dangerous situations where they must cooperate with criminals to catch criminals. These endeavors require that CPD superiors provide a high degree of leadership and oversight to keep officers on the straight and narrow. Fourth, internal and external sources of authority, including police superintendents and Mayors, have up to now failed to provide adequate anti-corruption oversight and leadership. The case of Lieutenant Jon Burge, Commander of Area 2 Detective Division, accused of torturing suspects to extract confessions is the most notorious, high-profile example of the lack of accountability in the department involving several state's attorneys and mayors. The "blue wall of silence" protected Burge and his many accomplices. Despite numerous courts overturning convictions and several media exposes, the CPD leadership and Mayor's office denied and evaded evidence that Burge and 64 other officers tortured more than 100 African-American suspects over several decades. In addition, dozens, if not hundreds, of police officers, who were present at the stations while the torture occurred or who heard about it from coworkers, failed to report the torture to the proper authorities. The Cook County State's Attorney never prosecuted a single officer for any crimes related to torture. And, there is no evidence that the Police Department ever disciplined any officer for failing to come forward with information about the tortures. Finally, the United States Attorney stepped in and prosecuted Jon Burge. Last year, he was convicted in federal court, not for torture but for lying about it under oath. The dozens of other police officers involved in the torture cases were not prosecuted. By 2012, the statute of limitation had expired. In this report, as well as in the previous six anti-corruption reports published by the Political Science Department, public corruption has been defined as an illegal or unethical act committed by a public official for his or her self interest rather than for the public good. While we relied on a set of 295 criminal convictions of police offices to analyze and classify police corruption, it should be noted that most unethical behavior and non-criminal misconduct also fits the definition of corruption. Also while some non-criminal misconduct committed by individual officers may not its self be "corruption," it is often swept under the rug or covered-upped by the department to avoid embarrassment. Toleration of such misconduct is definitely "corruption." Toleration of corruption, or at least resigned acceptance, appears to be the order of the day for at least the past 50 years. The department's Internal Affairs Division (IAD), the Independent Police Review Authority (IPRA), Police Board (PB), the department's top brass, the Mayor's office, and State Attorneys have all failed to aggressively and effectively reign in police corruption. In recent years, only the U.S. Attorney's Office has made a serious effort to curb police corruption. Details: Chicago: University of Illinois at Chicago, Department of Political Science, 2013. 54p. Source: Internet Resource: Anti-Corruption Report No. 7: http://pols.uic.edu/docs/default-source/chicago_politics/anti-corruption_reports/policecorruption.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Year: 2013 Country: United States URL: http://pols.uic.edu/docs/default-source/chicago_politics/anti-corruption_reports/policecorruption.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Shelf Number: 136164 Keywords: Blue Wall of SilencePolice CorruptionPolice EthicsPolice Misconduct |