Description

Law enforcement has a distinct professional culture that is comprised of both formal and informal elements. Formal elements are ensconced in rules and regulations. For example, training, hours of work, how to fill out paperwork, and wearing a uniform according to an individual’s status in the organization are formal elements of the culture. Informal elements are unspoken, including norms of behavior and the jargon used between officers. For example, informal cultural norms are what have a direct bearing on “how to go about their tasks, how hard to work, what kinds of relationships to have with their fellow officers and other categories of people with whom they interact, and how they should feel about police administrators,” (“The Police Culture,” p. 98). Both formal and informal culture impacts productivity, identity, and performance.

Language and Behaviors

One of the defining features of a culture is language. In the professional sectors, jargon and the terminology used during the course of a day on the job will be unique to the police culture. There are several layers of language in police culture, including the formal language used to refer to cases or emergency codes used for the dispatcher or when speaking between officers. Likewise, there are formal written languages used when filling out reports. Informal language is also crucial for maintaining police culture. The informal language will vary from department to department but can include frequent references to the “blue fraternity,”... 177). Bad police behavior can have fatal consequences. Although there are formal regulations guiding police behavior, the informal rules of officer culture will often override the formal rules.

Attitudes and Beliefs

A professional culture is defined as “the set of assumptions, beliefs, expectations, and philosophy that governs the professional’s interactions, performance, and role,” (“The Police Culture and Work Stress,” n.d.). Although each police department will be different, generally the attitudes and beliefs of police are antagonistic and based on the assumption that “people cannot be trusted; they are dangerous,” (Nhan, 2014, p. 1). Other negative attitudes or beliefs that have been attributed to police culture include cynicism, suspicion, authoritarianism, biases, prejudices, and conservatism (McCartney & Parent, 2012, 8.1). There is also a “perception that officers are the lone force that stands between good citizens and those who threaten the social order,” (Nhan, 2014, p. 1). However, there are also pervasive positive attitudes and beliefs in police culture. Those attitudes include loyalty to one another, teamwork, sacrifice, support, and camaraderie (McCartney & Parent, 2018, 8.1). The types of attitudes and beliefs that proliferate in any one police subculture will be heavily…