Police Officers Being Bribed

[Legal_Inquiry]

My question involves police conduct in the State of: Texas

I think police officers are bribed frequently. I think they take the bribes too. I don't think there could be accurate data on this. Are there many sting operations that the Federal government is doing to test the loyalty of local police departments? Does anyone else have an opinion on this?

[aardvarc]

The feds don't do things just for the sake of doing it, and they rarely dabble in city, county, or state level issues unless it involves violation of federal jurisdictional issues. Local PD or sheriff's office issues are the problem of the local PD or sheriff's office - that's why they have internal affairs departments whose job it is to detect, investigate, and take action on such matters. Above that is typically one or more state level agencies who can come in if and when a pattern of problems is possible.

[cdwjava]

I know of no ongoing operations to randomly try to bribe police officers. It is so broad, and so open to claims of entrapment, as to be unwieldy and unmanageable. Plus, it might lead to agencies spying on each other.

A local officer reports to his superiors that someone tried to pay him to get info on a person's driver's license ... officer reports this so his superiors ... local agency sets up a sting ... officer pretends to go along with deal receives payment ... local officers and feds all come out of the woodwork to arrest each other at the exchange ... what an image!

If one wants to believe that most officers are on the take, one will believe it in spite of the evidence. But, as one who is on the inside of the profession, I jave to say that not even cops want to work with dirty cops. You have to trust people with your lives ... if a guy is on the take, how can you then trust him at all?

[Who'sThatGuy]

if a guy is on the take, how can you then trust him at all?

Hahaha, all I can say is don't become a cop in Jersey because you wouldn't be able to trust your father if he was on the force.

[cdwjava]

Hahaha, all I can say is don't become a cop in Jersey because you wouldn't be able to trust your father if he was on the force.

That's a tad bit of a broad brush stroke, wouldn't you say?

[Another Demise]

CDW what do u think of that movie The Negotiator? And how do you know where corruption starts and where it begins? if a department is corrupt how is IA not apart of that? I mean a cubicle has a thin wall you know

[cdwjava]

CDW what do u think of that movie The Negotiator?

I have never seen it. I do not watch a lot of Hollywood cop movies as they rarely interest me, and usually are a tad far-fetched anyway.

And how do you know where corruption starts and where it begins? if a department is corrupt how is IA not apart of that? I mean a cubicle has a thin wall you know

A department is not "corrupt," PEOPLE are corrupt. An administration might foster or just condone a culture of corruption, but it is still the people that make a conscious decision to act in such a manner. I don't know of any cops that would condone such a thing.

Could the people in IA be inclined to put in a "fix" on their investigation? Sure. Such a thing would be tragic, unethical, and could even be crimina and I do not know of any officers or administrators that would condone it but I know that it happens in a few places. People are people, even when the organization holds higher ethical values - just look at the problems in the Catholic Church in recent decades.

[Mastevens]

Never done that here in the US. I was in Russia a while ago though for a couple weeks, and when I was in Moscow we got pulled over almost every day and the police there ALWAYS took bribes, which was a lot cheaper than the ticket (bribes were 10 to 25 USD, as opposed to like a 400 dollar fine). Although they also set up the obstructions so they pull us over.

[davidmcbeth3]

I have never tried to bribe a cop. Most I know would not like it (uuuhhh 1 out of 100 would be cool with it so I'll try, its my lucky day!)

But cops will "steal" stuff ... like take a 6 pack from kids or $$ from drug dealers .... EVERY cop I know has done this ..... not that I really care about such petty larceny (the victims dont complain).. Most cops, if they took a small amt of drugs off some POS will toss the drugs down the toliet