Police culture refers to the values and standards among law enforcement officers that affect their behavior and work patterns. Culture plays a critical role in subgroups within society, and the officers are no exception since they practice their roles in specific ways based on existing values, standards, and behavior (Croucher, 2020). The customs and habits the police develop determines their perceptions by grouping the different departments in law enforcement based on a shared understanding of their roles. The behavior of officers reflects on the criminal justice system, which makes its assessment crucial (Banks, 2020). Police culture nurtures perceptions of performing duties and how they should be accomplished through lived experiences that teach conduct, values, beliefs, and even communication.
Culture influences every aspect of life, and its role in determining service delivery to citizens is significant. The current impact of traditions in law enforcement entails a negative relationship with the public (Bacon, 2021). The poor correlation is facilitated by suspicion, system racism and discrimination against some races. The frequent police brutality cases that usually entail individuals from minority communities, mostly blacks, prove the poor relationship between the groups. There is also the expectation that individuals from some races are more likely to engage in crime and should be handled with force.
The set of values and standards in police culture shapes the perceptions of law enforcement officers about policing and the delivery of services. The traditions cause expectations among the professionals, creating similar behavior among its members (Krieg, 2020). It influences the achievement of duties by determining their approach to work and shaping their expectations. Therefore, police culture is similar to other customs and habits that guides the beliefs and perceptions of their members.
References
Banks, C. (2020). Criminal justice ethics: Theory and practice (5th ed.). SAGE Publications, Inc.
Croucher, S. M. (2020). The importance of culture and communication. Frontiers in Communication, 5. Web.
Bacon, M. (2021). Desistance from criminalisation: Police culture and new directions in drugs policing. Policing and Society, 32(4), 522–539. Web.
Krieg, A. (2020). A contextual behavioral account of culture: Example implementation of a functional behavioral approach to the study of cultural differences in social anxiety. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. Web.