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The Blue Wall Of Silence Essay

Decent Essays

Prompt: The Blue Wall of Silence is an unwritten moral code, among police officers, that essentially states that no officer is to report any acts of deviance, brutality, corruption or misconduct that their fellow officers may commit. Those in law enforcement may see this unwritten rule as a form of brotherhood and honor. However, this wall of silence also acts as a wall of deviance, in which officers allow their colleagues to commit unlawful acts. Is there a specific line that has to be crossed to determine a “rat” from a police officer who is serving their duty and enforcing the law?

Background: Michael Dowd worked for the New York City Police Department for precinct 75 for ten years and five months. Throughout his career, he committed extortion, narcotics trafficking, protection of drug operations, engaging in personal drug use, committed thefts and admitted to the courts that he had committed hundreds of crimes. At the beginning of it all, East New York in the late 80s was extremely poor and there were about 3,500 murders a year and a lot of crime. The 75 was known to be the deadliest precinct in the country, leading the city in homicides and shootings; the calls did not stop (Russel, 2015). After about a year on the force Dowd started committing acts of corruption. The first bribe he took was from an 18 year old driver who had no license, registration or license plates. The deal was to leave a few hundred dollars on the seat of Officer Dowd’s car, in exchange for

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