Unethical Police Operations Over the Term Paper

The charges were quietly dropped against the suspect and an Internal Affairs investigation cleared them of all wrong doing. (Terruso, 2011)

Explain the outcomes of the cases. Did you agree with the outcomes? Why or why not?

The situation involving the New York City police officers is still in the court system. So far I agree with the outcome. This is because they were deliberately breaking the law by selling automatic weapons to criminal elements. Moreover, they were also working with organized crime to sell cigarettes that were stolen from the police evidence room. This can erode the confidence of the general public in the department's ability to objectively enforce the law. When this happens, it will affect investigations and their outcomes. As a result, they had to be stopped before the situation became worse. (Rashbaum, 2011)

While the case in Elizabeth, resulted in the suspect suing the department for violating his Fifth Amendment rights (in civil litigation). He received $1.5 million in damages against the city for the cover up and violating his rights. I agree with the outcome. This is because the officer knowingly used excessive force and then was a part of a cover up. If this were allowed to continue the department could have engaged in similar behavior in the future.Once this takes place, is when there is a possibility that these abuses will become larger. To prevent this from happening, officers and their supervisors must be held accountable for their actions. (Terruso, 2011)

Conclusion

Clearly, there are a number of challenges associated with police corruption, misconduct and brutality. Although they are small, these abuses are eroding the confidence of general public in officers and their ability to follow different standards. When this happens, they will be less cooperative. To prevent this there should be a concentrated effort in going after these individuals.

References

2010 NPMSRP. (2010), Police Misconduct. Retrieved from: http://www.policemisconduct.net/2010-q2-npmsrp-national-police-misconduct-statistical-report/

Johnson, K. (2007). Police Brutality Cases on the Rise. USA Today. Retrieved from: http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-12-17-Copmisconduct_N.htm

Rashbaum, W. (2011). 8 Officers Charged with Gun Trafficking. City Room. Retrieved from: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/officers-accused-of-smuggling-guns-in-federal-corruption-case/

Terruso, J. (2011). Elizabeth Police Brutality. Star Ledger. Retrieved from: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/11/elizabeth_police_brutality_cas.html.....