State and local police made approximately 1.4 million drug possession arrests last year. Very few took place with search warrants, although the 4th Amendment, with few exceptions, requires the police to obtain a judicial warrant to search people or their homes. Ambitious politicians and police brass calling for more arrests condemn the code of silence while ignoring widespread police perjury in drug cases. It is not surprising that many cops feel that the only one they can really trust is another cop. Nevertheless, it is perverse when those sworn to enforce the law instead shelter predatory criminals who happen to carry a badge.
Minorities tend to be the victims of the most grievous police crimes.
The current Los Angeles police shooting scandal, like the thousands of cop crimes elsewhere, does immeasurable damage to the credibility of the criminal justice system. Mayors and police chiefs usually assure their citizens that there are only a few rotten apples when these scandals are publicized. Yet the number and similarity of police gangster crimes nationally indicate a crisis in American policing. Official corruption will be a major problem as long as we cling to the present drug policies. The code of silence cannot be totally eliminated.