Breaking the Code of Silence: Blue Wall of Silence Research Paper

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Occupational socialization is said to be the process by which "a person acquires the values, attitudes, and behaviors of an ongoing occupational social system" (Stojkovic, Kalinich, & Klofas, 2008, p. 222, cited in lecture notes). Within many police organizations, there is a strong ethos of not reporting the misconduct of other officers: the phrase often used is the 'blue code of silence.' "The Blue Code of Silence is an unwritten rule among police officers in the U.S. not to report on the errors, misconducts or crimes of one of their fellow officers. According to the unwritten code, if an officer is questioned about an incident of misconduct involving another officer, the officer being questioned will claim to be unaware of another officer's wrongdoing" (Breaking the code of silence, 2014, Houston Forward Times). Officers who challenge the Blue Code risk being 'shut out' socially and emotionally from their fellow officers and are regarded as betrayers because of their actions as whistleblowers.

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Despite the fact that "federal laws strongly prohibit officer misconduct, including officers who follow the blue code by neglecting to report any officer who is participating in corruption… [officers] fear facing the consequences that come as a result of it; such as being shunned, losing friends, losing back-up, receiving threats, having one's own misconduct exposed and more importantly, being terminated" (Breaking the code of silence, 2014, Houston Forward Times).

Occupational socialization and police solidarity is not an entirely negative phenomenon, however. It can serve an important social function given the stresses that police officers face on a daily basis. There is a need for a level of comradeship, perhaps more so than in….....

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