A new police recruit is typically introduced to the value-laden subculture of police work a unique socialization process. It is vital to understand this process, because the values and expectations learned through it not only contribute to the nature of many important police issues but also determine how the police view and respond to those issues, particularly integrity and corruption; however, the issue of corruption can be looked at differently. Read the article How the Sandford Police Department Repaired Its Community Relations after the Treyvon Martin (Links to an external site.) case where a police Chief created a change in the culture in a dysfunctional department.
After reading the assignments, lectures, PowerPoint presentations, and viewing the article above, you have a better understanding of the police working personality, police subculture, and ethical and professional duties of a police officer. For this discussion address the following topic:
What did Chief Smith do that changed the department? Look at your local police department, are there any police integrity issues (look for newspaper articles in your area that relate to police activities)? How could your police department benefit from Chief Smiths approach?
