Whistle Blowing and Ethics

Whistle Blowing and Ethics

Bill Piersol

According to the course text, there are two kinds of police whistle blowers; those that make a report to internal supervisors and those that make reports to external organizations such as the press or lawyers (Banks, 2013).  Of the two, it would seem like making a report to internal supervisors that document misconduct of other police officers would be considered the honorable and respectable thing to do.   But no, apparently any form of "snitching" violates the code of the blue wall and results in shunning and out-casting,  as a minimum, of the perceived snitch.   In New York City, a patrol officer complained first to a "duty Captain" and then internal affairs about improper stops and arrests.  Sometime later a SWAT team forcibly took the complaining police officer into custody from his apartment and he was then admitted against his will to a psychiatric hospital (Balko, 2011).  While this might have been one of the more extreme responses, it seems no one respects a whistle blower.  The ones who go to external agencies and organizations predictably find the same outcome of being considered a traitor, even when uncovering vicious behaviors of police officers.  The culture of not snitching against another police officer comes into play even when the parties belong to different agencies.   In one case, an on-duty DEA agent (not responding to a call) was illegally passing a car on the right side of a one lane road and flew into a rage after having an accident with a driver who had right of way.  He drew his gun, threw the other driver to the ground and beat him so bad that it caused brain damage.  The city police detective who investigated the incident reported that the DEA agent was in the wrong and documented the victim's injuries.  He testified in a lawsuit against the DEA agent, and as a result his own police force shunned him and treated him as a "pariah", and forced him into early retirement (Balko, 2011).

The police code of silence is predicated on the premise that if police don't protect each other at all cost, then they can't expect support from other officers in dangerous situations (Banks, 2013). My belief is It will take a change of culture and true leadership for a systemic change to occur.  Police recruits who are taught ethics in the academy have to see that their supervisors respect righteous behavior that doesn't overlook improper physical conduct or corruption.  The leadership and chain of command has to support a police code of conduct at the appropriate level.  Small transgressions should not be overlooked, they don't have to be blown out of proportion but when doing the right thing is encouraged for the small things, it can prevent outrageous behavior from taking root.  Policing is a dangerous profession and teamwork is paramount to safety, but it shouldn't be the norm that accepts bad behavior in order to stay part of the team.

References

Banks, C. (2013). Criminal justice ethics: Theory and practice (3d. ed.).  Thousand Oaks, CA:  SAGE Publications.

Balko, R. (2011). Why cops aren't whistleblowers. Reason, 42(9), 48-49