Police Subculture: Challenges and Ethical Considerations

This essay examines the concept of police subculture, defining it as a shared set of values, beliefs, and behaviors among law enforcement officers. It highlights how this subculture influences officers' actions, often emphasizing strength and emotional suppression, which can lead to significant health and wellness risks. The essay discusses real-world examples like the 'Ferguson effect' to illustrate the challenges officers face in balancing loyalty to their fellow officers and the community. The essay also explores the 'cop code' and its impact on ethical decision-making, including the potential for a code of silence and the concealment of information. It emphasizes the need for administrators and officers to address these issues by establishing new policies and providing resources to support officers' well-being and ensure effective law enforcement practices.

Running head: POLICE STRUCTURE
Police Subculture
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1POLICE STRUCTURE
Police subculture is a distinct set of values, beliefs, behaviors and attitudes that majority
of officers who are working in the police organizations, share amongst them. The police
subculture sets a behavioral standard that is considered appropriate for the law enforcement
personnel as it teaches the officers to be strong and exhibit to their fellow officers that they are
capable of dealing with any situation (Nhan, 2014). Since the officers are not encouraged to
express their emotions otherwise it would make them appear as weak, therefore, they usually
confine their problems to themselves. The most common but dangerous subculture in law
enforcement is the significant risk that is caused to the wellness and health of the personnel. The
subculture make the officers feel that they are required to act as if they can deal with any
situation.
A recent example that exhibits such dangerous police subculture is the ‘Ferguson effect’
an occurrence that originated from the case where The Ferguson, MO, case centered on a
Caucasian cop, whose life threatening duty ended in shooting a black male (Meares, 2017). The
incident gave rise to mayhem and the Ferguson community was astounded with all the anti-
police protests. The Ferguson incident has led to the assassinations of cops.
This incident is evident of the fact that where on one hand, the law enforcement is
undertaking reactive approach to prevent crimes such as homicides, on the other hand, the police
officers are becoming victims to the dangers posed by the suspects, while performing their duty.
Under both the circumstances, the police officials are alleged to be ineffective in discharging
their duties (Nix & Wolfe, 2017). The police officials often face difficulties while determining
whether to select loyalty towards the community or to maintain loyalty to their fellow officers,
which is popularly known as police subculture. Several departments have officers to take an oath

2POLICE STRUCTURE
to serve and safeguard the society without giving priority to their individual feelings, ethics,
prejudices, friendships or animosities that may influence their actions.
On the other hand, while the police officers work along with each other, a certain ‘cop
code’ is developed where they often hide information and conceal information to safeguard their
fellow officers. Hence, some of the police officials develop a personal code of ethics in which
they exhibit loyalty to their fellow officers instead of practicing a professional code of ethics. A
strong police subculture often might produce a code of silence where the police officer conceals
evidences or violates a law to enforce another, the fellow officers often assist or ignore
misdemeanor of their professional code of ethics.
In order to prevent such conflict, it is important that both the officers and the
administrators must notify and expose the problems that the officers might face while dealing
with any situation (Rose & Unnithan, 2015). The fact that police subculture often prevents
official personnel from obtaining resources to cope with their struggles. It is a fact that police
officers are trained to render assistance to victims, hence, cannot remain immune from mental
and emotional exposure to traumatic incidents. However, to make significant changes, the
administrators must act as leaders and establish new policies to resolve the issues, ensuring
welfare of the society and the law enforcement officials.

3POLICE STRUCTURE
Reference List
Meares, T. L. (2017). a critical look at crime and policing in the united states: the path forward:
improving the dynamics of community--police relationships to achieve effective law
enforcement policies. Colum. L. Rev., 117, 1355-1355.
Nhan, J. (2014). Police culture. The Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice.
Nix, J., & Wolfe, S. E. (2017). The impact of negative publicity on police self-
legitimacy. Justice quarterly, 34(1), 84-108.
Rose, T., & Unnithan, P. (2015). In or out of the group? Police subculture and occupational
stress. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 38(2),
279-294.