Police Corruption

A person who is corrupted lacks integrity or honesty; it is someone who uses a position of trust for dishonesty. In this case a position of trust is a Police Officer. Police corruption is when an officer misuses his/her authority to fulfill there needs and wants. There are many different forms of corruption; gratuity, involving free meals and discounts; bribery, involving the exchange of money or other goods between an officer and a suspect; theft and burglary, involving officers stealing property, money, and/or drugs. As a society, we hold law enforcement to a higher standard. We don't expect criminal behavior from people who swore to protect and serve. Corruption and brutality is not new among the police agencies across the U.S. Each city has there own history, but New York City has the most interesting history.

The New York City Police Department (NYPD) has been in business since 1845. The police department was created due to a rise in crime as a result of ethnic tensions between all the new immigrates that were now occupying the city. Property crime, violence, vice and street riots in the poor neighborhoods caused city officials to create a full-time professional police force similar to the London Metropolitan Police. Unlike today, where in order to become a police officer you must go through extensive background checks, physical agility tests and standardized test. In the 1840's recruitment was solely based on the recommendation of alderman and ward-level politicians. As we know once politicians get involved corruption is not that far away. Precinct houses were controlled by local party leaders and police regularly overlooked illegal liquor sales and vice operations controlled by party supporters.

This corruption drew a lot of criticism from reformers and by the 1850's steps were taken to reduce political influence in the department. The reforms included physical and written examinations for applicants, a brief training program for new recruits and a police commission to handle appointments and discipline. During this time the Metropolitan Police Act was created; this act created an enlarged Metropolitan Police District which included Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island and Westchester. This transferred control from the Democrats to the Republicans who controlled the governorship and the police commission for the next thirteen years. Even with all these new programs and requirements, the police department still remained a captive of partisan political interests.

The close tie between the police and local politics caused a culture of violence between the citizens and the police. The citizens were never that responsive to the police, but the corruption and patronage made the public lose even more respect for them. Although there are plenty of stories of corruption and brutality today, complaints of police violence dates back to the NYPD's first full year of operation in 1846. In the NYPD's first year twenty-nine people filed complaints with the city clerk charging that they had been assaulted by police officers. The earlier conflicts did not involve weapons, but once gangs began to attack police that were affiliated with opposing political factions or attempted to interfere with local criminal operations it caused the police to use tougher tactics. To gain control of the gang areas Captain George W. Walling organized strong arm squads in 1853. The squad consisted of several plain clothes officers armed with wooden clubs that could easily crack anyone's skull. As a result of Captain Walling giving his men all this freedom squad members regularly beat gang members senseless. This of course greatly decreased gang violence.

Unfortunely , this violence was not just reserved for gang members. It included anyone who challenged there authority, which made New Yorkers more antagonistic toward police. The criminal justice system was just as corrupted as the police officers. Criminals were released regularly in return for payoffs or in response to political pressure. Justices were political appointees who served on the bench as a reward for party services. They possessed no prior legal training and administered justice in consultation with local party leaders. This behavior caused the police to lose confidence in the judiciary system, if the police believed that the system was not suited to handle an offender they would handle punishment themselves by distributing "curbside justice." Curbside justice occurred when officers used violence to pay back political scores or to punish those who killed or injured other officers. Between 1865 and 1894 The New York Times alone published articles on more than 270 cases of brutality.

In the midst of the corruption and brutality one officer stood out from all the rest, Alexander "clubber" Williams. Alexander had a controversial thirty-year career and a reputation as New York's