NCJ Number
170230
Date Published
1996
Length
31 pages
Annotation
Because every large urban police department experiences at least some form of corruption, this article focuses on screening undercover police officers who have applied for or are currently working narcotics assignments within large urban law enforcement agencies serving populations of more than 1 million people.
Abstract
The article summarizes recent cases of law enforcement corruption, identifies temptations confronting narcotics police officers, and discusses recent case law and trends concerning the issue of police corruption. Since most police departments do not conduct screening processes for police officers who volunteer for undercover narcotics assignments or for police officers who currently work those assignments, a case study of a strategy for personnel screening in a large police department is included, with the Los Angeles Police Department used as a model. Recommendations for future action to minimize police corruption are offered. 24 endnotes and 3 illustrations