Police corruption

**Police corruption** is a form of police misconduct in which law enforcement officers break their social contract and abuse their power for personal or department gain.

One common form of police corruption is soliciting or accepting bribes in exchange for not reporting organized drug or prostitution rings or other illegal activities. Another example is police officers flouting the police code of conduct in order to secure convictions of civilians and suspects—for example, through the use of falsified evidence. More rarely, law enforcement officers may deliberately and systematically participate in organized crime themselves.

In most major cities there are internal affairs sections to investigate suspected police corruption or misconduct. Similar entities include the British Independent Police Complaints Commission. Police corruption is a significant widespread problem in many departments and agencies worldwide.

## Corrupt acts by police officers

Police officers have several opportunities to gain personally from their status and authority as law enforcement officers. The Knapp Commission, which investigated corruption in the New York City Police Department in the early 1970s, divided corrupt officers into two types: meat-eaters, who "aggressively misuse their police powers for personal gain", and grass-eaters, who "simply accept the payoffs that the happenstances of police work throw their way."

The sort of corrupt acts that have been committed by police officers have been classified as follows:

* **Corruption of authority**: When police officers receive free drinks, meals, and other gratuities, because they are police officers, whether intentionally or unintentionally, they convey an image of corruption.
* **Extortion**/**Bribery**: Demanding or receiving payment for criminal offenses, to overlook a crime or a possible future crime. Types of bribery are protection for illegal activities, ticket fixing, altering testimony, destroying evidence, and selling criminal information. Bribery is one of the most common acts of corruption.
* **Theft and burglary**: Is when an officer or department steals from an arrest and crime victims or corpses. Examples are taking drugs for personal use in a drug bust, and taking personal objects from a corpse at the scene of a crime. A theft can also within a department. An officer can steal property from the departments evidence room or property room for personal use.
* **Shakedowns**: Can be classified under theft and burglary. Stealing items for personal use from a crime scene or an arrest.
* **"Fixing"**: undermining criminal prosecutions by withholding evidence or failing to appear at judicial hearings, for bribery or as a personal favor.
* **Perjury**: Lying to protect other officers or oneself in a court of law or a department investigation.
* **Direct criminal activities** a law enforcement officer engages in criminal activity themselves.
* **Internal payoffs**: prerogatives and perquisites of law enforcement organizations, such as shifts and holidays, being bought and sold.
* **The "frameup"**: the planting or adding to evidence, especially in drug cases.
* **Ticket fixing**: police officers cancelling traffic tickets as a favor to the friends and family of other police officers.

## Gallery

A blockade setup by corrupt cops bought by the Lanzetta crime familyCorrupt cop bought by the Lanzetta family holding a Thompson 1928A corrupt cop/security guard bought by the Bowe Gang shot by Sid Rothman with a Thompson 1928