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I will be working on Blue Code of Silence

Work Cited

"'Blue Code' of Silence Breaks after Cover-up of New Orleans Shootings - Times Online." The Times | UK News, World News and Opinion. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article7083596.ece>.

Wright, Barry. "Civilianising the ‘blue code’? An examination of attitudes to misconduct in the police extended family." International Journal of Police Science & Management 12.3 (2010): 339-356. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.

Perry, William. "Code of Silence Starts with Adults' Attitudes." Vancouver Sun | Latest Breaking News | Business | Sports | Canada Daily News. Web. 24 Feb. 2011. <http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Code silence starts with adults attitudes/4095656/story.html>.

Selwyn, Raab. "The Dark Blue Code of Silence." New York Times Book Review (1993): 11. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 16 Mar. 2011.

Summary

The Blue Code of Silence is an unwritten rule among police officers in the United States not to report on another colleague's errors, misconducts or crimes. Also called the blue wall, curtain, veil, or cocoon, the Blue Code of Silence means that if an officer is questioned about an incident of potential misconduct involving another officer, the officer being questioned would claim ignorance of the other officer's wrongdoing. (From article originally) Seree: I'm not sure how the tribal value system relates to the Blue Code of Silence. Is is part of the tribal system? Explain the connection. Marlenefine (talk) 22:35, 5 April 2011 (UTC)Some police officers enforce the tribal value system also known as the emotional value system which is considered to be a "police family" or "police brotherhood". Members of the tribal system generally receive emotional support and security from other police officers.Blue Code of Silence is considered to be controversial because it questions ethics and values in law enforcement. In some cases, many police officers have been pressured in to following the Blue Code of Silence. cite h

Tribal Value System

New officers may especially feel pressured in to the tribal value system because they seek support and security from their peers. The tribal value sytem is driven by strong emotions of protecting fellow police officers and by defeating the "enemy." Having an "enemy" increases emotions and inputs fear and reliability into members. Police officers who are members then feel dependent on the tribal value system because they are scared and vulnerable to the enemy. Most members do not view criminals as the enemy, instead they identify police management, city officials and the media as their enemies. Members tend not follow policies that come from police administrators, especially if they contradict the tribal value system. cite http://www.realpolice.net/articles/police-stress/code-of-silence.html

New York and The Blue Code of Silence

Some police officers in New York have been associated with the Blue Code of Silence. The Mollen Commission (Note: define the Mollen Commission; also, is there a Wikipedia entry? If so, link to it. If not, you could do a short article) said, "The pervasiveness of the code of silence is itself alarming." cite http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/reports98/police/uspo27.htm#P676_188702. Cities that have the most crime tend to have more police officers that follow the Blue Code of Silence. It is important that officers show loyalty to each other when they patrol regularly in dangerous areas. One police officer from New York said, "If a cop decided to tell on me, his career's ruined....[H]e's going to be labeled as a rat." cite http://www.hrw.org/legacy/reports/reports98/police/uspo27.htm#P676_188702.

Testalying

Testalying is a term used for when a officer gives a false testimony in court in favor of their fellow police officer. If an officer chooses not to lie in court they maybe threatened or ostricized by fellow police officers. In 1994, the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Police Corruption (NOTE: same point as above with the Mollen Commission; if there's a Wikipedia article, link to it; if not, create an entry) did a two year investigation on testalying in law enforcement. They discovered that some officers falsified documents such as arrest reports, warrants and evidence for an illegal arrest or search. Some police officers also fabricated stories to a jury. The Commission found that the officers were not testalying for greed but because they believed that they were imprisoning people that deserved it. Also many prosecutors allowed testalying to occur. People involed in testalying believed that it was not corrupution but yet another way to "get the job done." http://www.nacdl.org/PUBLIC/ABUSE/CR000007.htm