Arguably, every institution in the world possesses its distinctive and personal organizational culture. Police agency also has a culture in the world which seems to be universal. Police in most cities unite in defending the wrong doers among them, this act and culture is inhumane and totally unacceptable. The Blue Shield Wall of Silence is a rule that is unwritten among officers. The rule advocates defending their colleagues when they do an error, misbehave or commit a crime. In fact, scholars assert that this is one of the highest forms of peer pressure among law enforcing agents. The names associated with the Blue Code of Silence include Veil, Cocoon, curtain, as well as the blue shield. Due to rules, the ethics and culture of police has been questioned. Police culture refers to professionalism in fighting crime and the impartial image. In most cases, it describes the behavior and beliefs in the police department.
Undeniably, the Blue Wall of Silence has led to police perjury and inhumane form of brutality on the public, yet the police continue to facilitate as well as protect these behaviors. Scholars in the law suppose that the Blue Wall of Silence certainly symbolizes unethical and vicious form of loyalty amid of police officers (Crank & Caldero, 2010). In the real sense, everyone in the world will always be in a position to defend his/her colleague, regardless of the crime committed. The police too are not exceptional; but under no circumstance, can the act be ethical, justified, or human. The existence of this code began during the torture of an immigrant from Haiti while in guardianship at Brooklyn district. In the real sense, Skolnick Jerome was the first person to build the Blue Wall of Silence. In the year 2000, Jerome reported the Haitian case, of which trial began on May 2000. The case involved four police officers from New York City.
The case took astonishing turns; police officers from NYPD took the stand and supported the prosecution. In their support, they claimed that Volpe Justin Sodomized the Haitian in the restroom with a wooden stick. The tress police officers, who spoke out, marked the beginning of breaking the Blue Wall of silence. This case led to tremendous media attention, it was unusual phenomena for a police officer to testify against his colleague. The second surprising move was that Justin Volpe pleaded quality for the charges. The confession took the community by surprise, and most of them advocated for the removal of the police. After the incident, many more accusation and punishment of brutal police officers followed (Crank & Caldero, 2010).
As a matter of fact, the existence of the Blue Wall of Silence cannot be traced. The continuity and support of it hurt those people who have been brutally handled by police officers. In fact, there is a correlation between police behavior and brutality with the existence of the Blue Wall of Silence (Gaines & Miller, 2011). Undeniably, there are many groups of people who suffer because of police brutality and the existence of the Blue Wall of Silence. They include the public, prisoners, as well as police officers who are righteous and try to end the Blue Wall of Silence.
In the globe, the public has very negative picture of police officers. In fact, the existence of Blue Wall of Silence is believed to have derailed the trust and confidence of the public on police officers. Many people always report the brutality of the police. Certainly, with the presence of media freedom a lot of issues that entail police officers breaking the law have been reported (John, 2010). Studies show that police officers who report brutality of their colleagues face a lot of challenges which include losing their jobs and to a greater extend losing their life. For example, Barry a veteran in the force was assigned to midnight tours and demoted for failing to supervise his force, which brutally handled Frank Jude Jr. Hence, the Blue Wall of Silence has greatly affected good, fair, and righteous policemen.
Perhaps, the public too has undergone various brutal attacks for trying to report police brutality. For example, individuals who reported the brutal acts of police officers were attacked in their homes, or even charged falsely as criminals. Additionally, in order to cover evidence, policemen have gone to the extent of killing the witnesses. This act is inhumane and such form of culture should be put to an end. Corruption has also increased the injustices carried out by the police officers (Gaines & Miller, 2011).
Police ethical culture has in most cases been questioned. But the real facts are that police officers undergo tremendous training of both physical and ethical issues. The environmental effects are believed to be changing the ethical culture of the ethical concepts of the police. Certainly, there are many sympathizes in the public domain and within the police department. They believe that many police officers support themselves in their work, without the policy of dependence the investigations, as well as execution of justice could never be achieved. Literally, the policemen supporting the Blue shield are only following commands and orders from their superiors. Therefore, the culture within the police department has made the ethics of the police upright and morally justified (John, 2010).
Sociology and psychologists asserts that the ethical culture of the police is viewed has been negative, yet the blame should be directed on the changing roles. Since the beginning of this century, police are subjected to harsh form of training so as to counter terrorism as well as stalk for drugs. Hence, the brutal behaviors of the police are as a result of tough training (Crank & Caldero, 2010). Nevertheless, the rule of law must always take its course regardless of sex, age, power, status, class or wealth. Police culture in the society today is more discriminatory, the poor and the less fortunate are the ones who suffer in the hands of policemen, yet they never receive justice. It is ironical that the law enforcing agencies are the perpetrators of injustice.
Conclusively, professionally in the field of law believe silence is support of criminal behavior is an act of criminality on its own. Therefore, those people supporting the Blue Wall of Silence are part of the law breakers. In the eyes of righteous police officers, public and prisoners, it is an act of immorality and totally unethical for police officers to protest in support of their brutal colleagues. The society today has become so open and media has supported the breaking of Blue Wall of Silence. Furthermore, with introduction of community policing, the interaction between police and public has increased trust and confidence among the two parties.
References
Crank, J. & Caldero, M. (2010). Police Ethics: Corruption of Noble Cause. New York:
Wadsworth.
Gaines, L. & Miller, R. (2011). Criminal Justice in Action. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.
John, O. (2010). Blue Wall of Silence: Perception of the Influence of Training. London; Springer.
