Describe how organizations can become corrupt

Ethical Systems

Crime Control

Discretion and  Law Enforcement

Discretion and Corruption

Managing an ethical police department can be a difficult challenge. As you have seen, the criminal justice field often presents situations that would appear to be governed by competing ethical systems. The very nature of police work presents officers with ethical challenges not found in other occupations.

For this assignment, you have been contracted to assist an urban police department improve its ethical performance. Your task is to provide police leadership with background and guidance on the following topics. Prepare a report of 6-8 pages in Microsoft Word that addresses each of these points:

Describe how organizations can become corrupt, using Trautman’s “corruption continuum” as a guide. Explain how organizational incentives such as COMPSTAT can influence organizational corruption.

Discuss Bandura’s explanation of the influence of co-workers on individual behavior and explain how this topic relates to police supervision.

Explain the “continuum of compromise” as it relates to individual police misconduct, including how it might help supervisors recognize warning signs. Include the concept of “means–end” thinking in your review.

Describe Bandura’s definition of self-regulation and describe how aspects of the law enforcement job can cause one to turn away from self-regulation.

Last, considering that police agencies are nearly evenly-split on the topic of gratuities, determine whether you would recommend a policy that forbids patrol officers from accepting gratuities. Support your position with reasoning and research.