Post by WaTcHeR on Feb 13, 2006 10:50:51 GMT -5
From mobsters to schoolchildren, no one likes a tattletale. But there's an exception in the public's eyes when it comes to law enforcement.
That's because many community members perceive a so-called "blue wall of silence" within their local police or sheriff departments, believing that officers cover up for each other in sticky situations and keep cases of police misconduct under wraps.
The attorney representing Elio Carrion, a 21-year-old Air Force senior airman who was shot by a San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy on Jan. 29, said the code of silence runs deep among law enforcement in Southern California.
"It's a pervasive problem," said Luis Carrillo, who has also insisted on behalf of the Carrion family that the deputy be arrested. "Most people are really unaware of it. Most people believe that what an officer or a deputy sheriff says is the gospel truth."
Carrillo believes this unwritten code of silence negatively affects the job performance of some officers.
"It encourages officers to use excessive force because they know they will not suffer any consequences," Carrillo said.
Spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Jodi Miller, denied that a blue wall exists within the department.
"I don't believe that exists in our department," Miller said, adding she would not comment on where the public perception comes from.
However, the camaraderie among officers can lead them to circle the wagons around one of their own, according to civil rights attorney John Burris, who specializes in police misconduct cases.
"You have officers, because of the culture of the department, who are more committed to protecting each other than protecting and defending the law. They see misconduct and they will turn their heads," Burris said.
Burris represented Rodney King and Tupac Shakur and has written a book about the blue wall of silence called "Blue vs. Black: Let's End the Conflict Between Cops and Minorities."
"It's a culture of all for one and one for all, what happens in the car stays in the car," Burris said.
People in urban and African-American communities "know that, that officers lie, and you can't trust them. It's the prevailing view in certain communities," Burris said.
But Bruce Burg, criminal justice professor from Cal State Long Beach, said it is up for debate whether the "blue curtain," as it is also known, has always existed.
Burg said in the 1970s the blue curtain was lowered a bit as more responsibility was introduced to law enforcement.
"That's been going on with the professionalization of law enforcement – supervisor responsibility. Many supervisors were fired who said they did not know their deputies were involved (in misconduct)," Burg said.
In the past 20 years Burg said many departments have tried to increase supervision and responsibility.
"It's a way of inhibiting any kind of corruption of law enforcement, and to prohibit any kind of blue curtain from being drawn," Burg said.
He also said the blue curtain doesn't get drawn as tightly around clear cases of police abuse.
What's the harm?
Burris said there is no question about a blue wall existing.
"It's clearly real. I've been involved in hundreds of cases involving police misconduct and rarely ever has a police officer given testimony against another," Burris said.
But Burg said that is not so unusual because co-workers cover for each other all the time.
"Every occupational group has people who lie, and police are not any different from doctors or lawyers," Burg said. "Go find a doctor who will testify in a malpractice suit against another doctor."
What makes police officers covering for their co-workers so different, and unacceptable in the public's view, is the fact that they can use deadly force, Burg said.
It is this key difference in a police officer's job – the fact that they put their lives on the line and are given the power to use force – that also reinforces the code of silence.
"There is always going to be a certain amount of protection and support among police officers because there is a sense that they are different," Burg said.
"There is a sense that ‘the public doesn't understand what we're doing,' and that ‘they shouldn't be privy to everything we do.' "
Burris agrees to a certain extent.
"Officers have such great power on the street, and they are trained to protect each other as a family. From the day you enter the department you protect and stand up for each other," Burris said.
He added that the blue wall is perpetuated because those who participate in it are promoted, and those who don't follow the code are ostracized and harassed.
"You have this thread that runs through the department, all the way from the rookie to the command stand," Burris said. "That makes it extraordinarily difficult for those who are treated with misconduct to fight against it or those who witness misconduct to come forward."
The strong influence of police unions who stand up for officers who engage in misconduct also contributes to the blue wall effect, Burris said.
Burg said the blue curtain is not only present in cases of misconduct, but can also be seen with police suicides, which are usually labeled accidental deaths in order to protect the family and the officer's pension.
In cases of officer domestic violence, Burg said often the matter will be dealt with within the department, with counseling or a suspension instead of a criminal charge.
Not always so silent
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has recently come under criticism for the shooting of Carrion, who was a passenger in a car involved in a high-speed pursuit in Chino. The FBI is investigating the incident, which was videotaped, for possible civil rights violations.
After seeing a videotape of the Chino shooting, Burg said it will be interesting to see if a blue wall is drawn around the shooter, Deputy Ivory Webb.
"No officer is going to be able to cover that (Webb) didn't use the best police tactics," Burg said.
"I doubt that any of them will draw a curtain and say, ‘no everything he did was perfect,' but I don't think they'll go the other way and say what he did was wrong."
Lowering the curtain But overall, Burg said the blue curtain is not as tightly drawn as in years past.
"One could argue that there have been conscientious efforts on the part of police administrations to prevent the blue curtain from engulfing all issues," Burg said.
Many departments now have civilians on their review boards after an effort in the 1980s to open their doors to the public, Burg said.
"It's much harder to draw the curtain if you have reputable citizens from the community on the review board. It's one of the things that has helped community relations," Burg said.
Other efforts by law enforcement to reach out to the public include the development of community or citizen academies, neighborhood watch programs and school programs such as DARE – Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
These are all part of a new philosophy called community policing that aims to bring the community and police closer together, Burg said.
Department spokeswoman Miller said the department does do many of the community relation programs Burg described, including finger-printing children, neighborhood watch programs, public service announcements, car seat programs and presentations in local schools.
"We have a number of crime-prevention programs that are done uniquely at each station," Miller said.
Miller said she did not know if these programs were an attempt to dispel public concern over a blue wall within the department, adding that there are positive community relations between the sheriff's department and the public.
Burris said the only way the blue wall can be torn down is with a different kind of training for officers from day one and strong leadership from the upper echelon of the departments.
"There has to be investigation of these things that take place and a message that this is not acceptable," Burris said.
"To the extent that the community feels they are being harassed and mistreated by the police department, you'll never have good community relations."
That's because many community members perceive a so-called "blue wall of silence" within their local police or sheriff departments, believing that officers cover up for each other in sticky situations and keep cases of police misconduct under wraps.
The attorney representing Elio Carrion, a 21-year-old Air Force senior airman who was shot by a San Bernardino County Sheriff's deputy on Jan. 29, said the code of silence runs deep among law enforcement in Southern California.
"It's a pervasive problem," said Luis Carrillo, who has also insisted on behalf of the Carrion family that the deputy be arrested. "Most people are really unaware of it. Most people believe that what an officer or a deputy sheriff says is the gospel truth."
Carrillo believes this unwritten code of silence negatively affects the job performance of some officers.
"It encourages officers to use excessive force because they know they will not suffer any consequences," Carrillo said.
Spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, Jodi Miller, denied that a blue wall exists within the department.
"I don't believe that exists in our department," Miller said, adding she would not comment on where the public perception comes from.
However, the camaraderie among officers can lead them to circle the wagons around one of their own, according to civil rights attorney John Burris, who specializes in police misconduct cases.
"You have officers, because of the culture of the department, who are more committed to protecting each other than protecting and defending the law. They see misconduct and they will turn their heads," Burris said.
Burris represented Rodney King and Tupac Shakur and has written a book about the blue wall of silence called "Blue vs. Black: Let's End the Conflict Between Cops and Minorities."
"It's a culture of all for one and one for all, what happens in the car stays in the car," Burris said.
People in urban and African-American communities "know that, that officers lie, and you can't trust them. It's the prevailing view in certain communities," Burris said.
But Bruce Burg, criminal justice professor from Cal State Long Beach, said it is up for debate whether the "blue curtain," as it is also known, has always existed.
Burg said in the 1970s the blue curtain was lowered a bit as more responsibility was introduced to law enforcement.
"That's been going on with the professionalization of law enforcement – supervisor responsibility. Many supervisors were fired who said they did not know their deputies were involved (in misconduct)," Burg said.
In the past 20 years Burg said many departments have tried to increase supervision and responsibility.
"It's a way of inhibiting any kind of corruption of law enforcement, and to prohibit any kind of blue curtain from being drawn," Burg said.
He also said the blue curtain doesn't get drawn as tightly around clear cases of police abuse.
What's the harm?
Burris said there is no question about a blue wall existing.
"It's clearly real. I've been involved in hundreds of cases involving police misconduct and rarely ever has a police officer given testimony against another," Burris said.
But Burg said that is not so unusual because co-workers cover for each other all the time.
"Every occupational group has people who lie, and police are not any different from doctors or lawyers," Burg said. "Go find a doctor who will testify in a malpractice suit against another doctor."
What makes police officers covering for their co-workers so different, and unacceptable in the public's view, is the fact that they can use deadly force, Burg said.
It is this key difference in a police officer's job – the fact that they put their lives on the line and are given the power to use force – that also reinforces the code of silence.
"There is always going to be a certain amount of protection and support among police officers because there is a sense that they are different," Burg said.
"There is a sense that ‘the public doesn't understand what we're doing,' and that ‘they shouldn't be privy to everything we do.' "
Burris agrees to a certain extent.
"Officers have such great power on the street, and they are trained to protect each other as a family. From the day you enter the department you protect and stand up for each other," Burris said.
He added that the blue wall is perpetuated because those who participate in it are promoted, and those who don't follow the code are ostracized and harassed.
"You have this thread that runs through the department, all the way from the rookie to the command stand," Burris said. "That makes it extraordinarily difficult for those who are treated with misconduct to fight against it or those who witness misconduct to come forward."
The strong influence of police unions who stand up for officers who engage in misconduct also contributes to the blue wall effect, Burris said.
Burg said the blue curtain is not only present in cases of misconduct, but can also be seen with police suicides, which are usually labeled accidental deaths in order to protect the family and the officer's pension.
In cases of officer domestic violence, Burg said often the matter will be dealt with within the department, with counseling or a suspension instead of a criminal charge.
Not always so silent
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has recently come under criticism for the shooting of Carrion, who was a passenger in a car involved in a high-speed pursuit in Chino. The FBI is investigating the incident, which was videotaped, for possible civil rights violations.
After seeing a videotape of the Chino shooting, Burg said it will be interesting to see if a blue wall is drawn around the shooter, Deputy Ivory Webb.
"No officer is going to be able to cover that (Webb) didn't use the best police tactics," Burg said.
"I doubt that any of them will draw a curtain and say, ‘no everything he did was perfect,' but I don't think they'll go the other way and say what he did was wrong."
Lowering the curtain But overall, Burg said the blue curtain is not as tightly drawn as in years past.
"One could argue that there have been conscientious efforts on the part of police administrations to prevent the blue curtain from engulfing all issues," Burg said.
Many departments now have civilians on their review boards after an effort in the 1980s to open their doors to the public, Burg said.
"It's much harder to draw the curtain if you have reputable citizens from the community on the review board. It's one of the things that has helped community relations," Burg said.
Other efforts by law enforcement to reach out to the public include the development of community or citizen academies, neighborhood watch programs and school programs such as DARE – Drug Abuse Resistance Education.
These are all part of a new philosophy called community policing that aims to bring the community and police closer together, Burg said.
Department spokeswoman Miller said the department does do many of the community relation programs Burg described, including finger-printing children, neighborhood watch programs, public service announcements, car seat programs and presentations in local schools.
"We have a number of crime-prevention programs that are done uniquely at each station," Miller said.
Miller said she did not know if these programs were an attempt to dispel public concern over a blue wall within the department, adding that there are positive community relations between the sheriff's department and the public.
Burris said the only way the blue wall can be torn down is with a different kind of training for officers from day one and strong leadership from the upper echelon of the departments.
"There has to be investigation of these things that take place and a message that this is not acceptable," Burris said.
"To the extent that the community feels they are being harassed and mistreated by the police department, you'll never have good community relations."