Blue Wall

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the phenomenon that exists within the police force known as the 'blue wall'. The concept refers to the fact that police officers do not inform the authorities about misconduct performed by their fellow officers. It discusses a couple of famous cases of this phenomenon and examines how this affects law enforcement in practice.

From the Paper:

"Police officers work under a lot of differing and sometimes conflicting rules. Some of those rules are formal, such as codes of conduct they are required to follow. Others are more informal, such as the behaviors one police officer expects to see from another. At the same time, police officers form a tight-knit professional and social group. Their work is unpredictable, often violent, and they put their lives on the line every day. as Skolnick (2000) writes, the officers understand that they, or another officer, may do things that they wouldn't want made public. These things can include all kinds of things from excessive force to visiting a prostitute while on duty, but police officers count on instant backup from their partners and fellow officers with no questions asked, and that attitude extends to all facets of police work, including things an officer clearly should not have done."

More papers on Blue Wall:

• Case Study # 135022 : "Virgin Blue Airlines"
• Analytical Essay # 135729 : "Criminal Justice Ethics"
• Research Paper # 122752 : "Police and Abuse of Power"

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