Law Enforcement Deviance

One of the most difficult jobs of police officers is their duty to protect the citizens and themselves from bodily harm or death, which may require that they use excessive force. According to the Rampart Independent Review, deadly force is defined in the LAPD policies as "responsible and necessary "to protect others or themselves from bodily harm (Rampart, 2000 November 16).

Officers are permitted to use excessive force in situations such as "immediate defense of life, also known as IDOL" to prevent death or serious harm to another person, if they are trying to catch a suspect who has fled the scene or refuses to comply with the direct order of an officer. However, all other avenues must be exhausted and excessive force should only be used as a last resort (Rampart, 2000 November 16).

Investigations after a police related shooting are imperative to the community and to the force in which the officer works in order to clarify that the officer's actions were warranted. Just recently in Portsmouth, Virginia, there was an officer related shooting that is currently under investigation. Officers were attempting to make a drug bust in the Golden Skillet parking lot when shots were fired due to the suspect attempting to flee the scene in his car. After a few minutes, the car came to a halt and upon approaching the car the officers saw that the suspect had died from gunshot wounds (McCaffery, January 31, 2007).

According to the Rampart Independent Review, this falls in the guidelines of excessive force because the suspect attempted to flee during the arrest and was known to be dangerous and was in possession of cocaine. Because the suspect attempted to flee by way of a high speed chase, and ignoring the police, it would be considered warranted on the grounds those grounds (Rampart, 2000 November 16).

Another officer shooting related incident that has recently happened in Virginia Beach, Virginia, has raised questions and eyebrows. Two Virginia Beach officers stopped the suspect on what they call a routine traffic infraction. There was no indication if the officers thought he has a weapon, or if the suspect ignored verbal commands. The officers reported that they immediately called the emergency response team and he was treated immediately but died anyways (Washington & Stone, 2006, February 4).

However his sister, who lived very close to where the suspect was killed, said that the ambulance didn't show up for at least thirty minutes and believes that he was shot because of his previous criminal record which included assault on a police officer but is adamant that he was a changed man and had quit doing drugs and stopped smoking cigarettes (Washington & Stone, 2006, February 4).

Things such as these can be seen as deviant on the police officer's part because some officer's may feel that because they are the law, they are above the law and are untouchable, which to them may justify their deviant actions. The police departments also sometimes help to confirm this belief among the officer's through their policies and procedures.

For example, the Los Angeles Police Department conducts their administrative investigation before the criminal investigation begins. If an investigator finds sufficient evidence of deviance on the officer's part, the investigator then turns the information over to the Chief of police who will then decide if they should turn it over to Internal Affairs or to discontinue the investigation (Rampart, 2000 November 16).

These administrative actions can lead to an officer being admonished because they are a friend, a good officer usually, or for any other reason that the Chief of Police sees fit to use. By allowing the administration to proceed in this manner it can contribute to corruption in the police

Department and confirm the beliefs of that an officer will not be held criminally responsible hence, above the law.

Even though there are many other reasons that are contributing factors to deviant related police shootings, in my opinion, the impression that the department makes to their officers is of great importance. If the officer sees that they work in a lax environment, then they will be more tempted to perform deviant behavior of any type. It is most important that someone on the outside of the department to conduct the investigation to make sure that no deviance is involved. As soon as an officer related shooting occurs, Internal Affairs should step in and take over the investigation to determine whether there is criminal misconduct. If the investigator finds misconduct than they should take that information to the District Attorneys office to determine whether they should prosecute. Having an outside department conducting the investigation will help to deter future misconduct and give an unbiased look at the situation.