Police Culture Now, But not Forever
Jace Valcore, PhD, NLC Houston
The occupational culture of policing has been a popular topic of debate, public scrutiny, and scholarly research for the past fifty years. It is not significant that policing has a unique culture — all professions and workplaces do — but the impact and consequences of police subculture are incredibly significant, not only for those who work in or come into contact with the criminal legal system, but for all of us. Broadly defined, culture refers to the shared norms, values, and beliefs of a group of people. Culture is how police officers, and any other group, make sense of their world and their role in it. Attitudes and beliefs about police work and the role of the police officer, whether held by individual officers or shared among an entire department, directly influence police officer discretion, decisions, and behavior. Police culture impacts how they interact with the citizens they encounter, whether or not they issue a warning or make an arrest, how they respond to a fleeing suspect, how they write an arrest report to justify certain actions, and whether or not they will lie under oath.
Culture is expressed and can be viewed externally through symbols, images, clothing, behaviors, rituals, and tools. For example, the “occupying soldier” narrative shared among officers is a key component of police culture that is readily on display through the increased militarization of police tactics, tools, and uniforms. The traditional police culture has been, and continues to be, defined by several key beliefs and assumptions about police work: danger and risk, authority and the use of force, solidarity and isolation, power and masculinity. The emphasis on crime fighting, guns, and violence is reflected in recruitment posters, on t-shirts, and by the media. This focus on hypermasculinity is problematic because the majority of police work is fairly routine: order maintenance, traffic control, and community problem-solving. Approximately 70% of officers will resign or retire from the force without ever shooting their firearms, but police academies across the country continue to place considerably more time and emphasis on firearms training than on de-escalation tactics or problem-solving skills.
Policing holds a unique position in society as the only occupation legally allowed, and even expected, to use lethal force. They are street-level bureaucrats, and for many people, the most visible arm of the government, and one that represents authority, control, and power. The role law enforcement plays in maintaining order and enforcing laws sets them apart from many other occupations (though there is much that police could learn from other regulatory agencies) and bolsters a culture in which an “us v them” mentality often develops. The majority of officers enter the profession wishing to help people and have a positive impact in their communities, but through experience and cultural indoctrination, they begin to view the public they serve not as community partners and fellow citizens, but as enemies. This is expressed in many ways, including the thin blue line or blue wall of silence, behind which officers rally and protect each other, maintain secrecy and solidarity, and distance themselves from the public. There are positive elements of police culture, of course, such as the emphasis on doing good, meaningful, and purposeful police work. The occupational culture of policing also gives officers a sense of camaraderie and support, and provides coping mechanisms for dealing with a job full of stress, conflict, and contradictions.
The visibility of police work has increased through the use of body cameras, cell phone videos, and social media, yet the public largely feels that police accountability has not changed accordingly. Incidents of police misconduct and uses of excessive or unnecessary force dominate news headlines, and for good reason, but the public and the police think very differently about them, exemplifying a disconnect and increasing lack of understanding between police and communities. Surveys by Pew Research Center show that while ⅔ of police officers view fatal police shootings of black citizens as isolated incidents, 60% of the American public considers them to be evidence of deeper, widespread problems and biases in policing. Similarly, police officers are critical of the protests and demonstrations that often follow publicized shootings, viewing them as simply “anti-police” and not as legitimate calls for necessary police and community reforms.
Despite increasingly diverse police forces, the advent of problem-oriented policing, and efforts to implement community policing and build police-community relations, aspects of the traditional police culture remain entrenched. For example, female officers continue to buy-in to expectations of masculinity and power that dominate the organizational culture of most agencies. Yet, it is imperative to understand that traditional police culture is changing, albeit slowly, and that at no point in time has it been monolithic. Adherence to sexist attitudes about police work, the code of silence, or the use of force, for instance, differs greatly among individual officers, units, and agencies.
Though scholars and critics have been lamenting police culture for decades, long-lasting change is possible, and essential. UK criminologist Sarah Charman described the results of some her research in a recent article for The Conversation, noting how there is a “new breed” of officers entering the ranks that still value solidarity, but also integrity and compassion. The generation of young adults entering policing today are not as willing to lie or cover-up for others’ mistakes, and are concerned with a healthy work-life balance, i.e. maintaining a social life outside of the police force that prevents them from being too far ingrained into a potentially toxic occupational culture. Charman anticipates that “cultural sedimentation” will slowly occur as values such as compassion and integrity begin to outweigh cynicism and the code of silence. But it is not necessary to wait for generational turnover. Drastic agency changes, as were made in Camden, NJ, can quickly begin to transform police-community relations. In 2012, the police department in Camden was completely disbanded, and a new county-level agency formed, with more officers, better technology, and an emphasis on community policing. What was once the most dangerous city in the country has since increased the public trust and safety and decreased crime rates by putting officers on foot patrol and engaging with community members.
Policing, like many of our social institutions today, is at a boiling point. Cultural evolution is inevitable, and no matter how broken police-community relations may appear to be, social pressures and community expectations will lead to change, though the pace and consistency will vary from one jurisdiction to the next and from one officer to another, just as current policies and practices do.
Jace L. Valcore, PhD, is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of Houston Downtown. His educational background includes degrees in Sociology, Criminal Justice, and Public Affairs. This multidisciplinary training fuels research interests in public policy, criminal law, social justice, and the criminal legal system with a specifically queer lens focused on the experiences, needs, and elevation of the LGBTQ community. He has published work on US state hate crime laws, gender in policing, and co-edited a special issue on LGBTQ families for Journal of Family Strengths. He is currently completing projects on the measurement of gender in criminological research, the experiences of LGBTQ police officers, and media analysis of the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse nightclub in Orlando, FL. He also provides queer competency workshops and seminars for students, educators, professionals, and community members, and serves on the board for New Leaders Council-Houston.
