Citizen Complaints and Problems officers

Citizen Complaints and Problems Officers

Examining Officer Behavior

Chapter thirteen talks about the police being a public institution, that relies on a grant of legitimacy rooted in public trust and confidence. Complaints that become news events can wear away confidence among an even wider audience. This chapter provides the unique opportunity to combine citizen complaint data with actual observations. It examines the behavior of identified problem officers, as well as whose who are not labeled as such.

Systematic research on police misconduct suggests most citizen complaints are generated by a handful of officers. In 1991, the Christopher Commission released its review of the Los Angeles Police Department in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, 1991). From its investigation, the Commission reported that a small group of officers were responsible for a disproportionate number of citizen complaints. Forty-four officers who had six or more allegations of excessive force or improper tactics were identified and labeled “problem officers.” It stands to reason that officers who repeatedly receive citizen complaints will be looked upon with suspicion, reflecting the saying- “where there’s smoke there’s often fire.”

Perspectives on Citizen Complaints and Problem Officers

As a result of the adversarial nature of the police-citizen relationship, situations arise in which avoidance of conflict is not an option.

Not every citizen willingly accepts an officer’s definition of a situation: instead, he or she may choose to rebel against or challenge the authority of the police officer. Van Maanen (1978) noted this type of citizen, termed “asshole” by police, was likely to receive street justice in the form of “thumping.” Though Van Maanen’s fieldwork took place three decades ago, police continue to confront citizens they label as “assholes” who challenge their authority (Mastrofski, Reisig, and McCluuskey, 1991). More precisely, “thumping” an “asshole” has garnered an increasing amount of both departmental and public attention (Skolnick and Fyfe, 1993). At least three different perspectives on the meaning of citizen complaints are possible. First, it may be that citizen complaints tell us little to nothing because they are unreliable or invalid indicators of officer’s behavior. Two arguments can be made in this respect.

A citizen complaint is just that- a “citizen” complaint. It is the citizen’s view or perception that the officer acted illegally or improperly, which is unlikely to be informed by rules and procedures by police departments establishing uniform operating standards.

A complaint is solely an allegation of wrongdoing and may have less to do with improper police behavior and more to do with the fact the citizen was the subject of an officer behavior (e.g., arrest, search) that the citizen simply does not like, thereby prompting a grudge on his or her behalf.

Second, it may be that complaints help identify potential problem officers. Toch (1995) notes that complaints are subject to interpretation, but they may be a rough indicator of an officer’s “propensity” for malpractice. Thus, officers with a high complaint rate, in particular, should be identifiable through counterparts.

Third, citizen complaints may actually be an indicator of officer productivity. It has been argued (Lerch and Mieczkowski, 1996; Wagner and Decker, 1997) that officers who receive repeated complaints may not actually be so-called problem officers, but rather productive officers. The surest way not to receive a complaint is to do little or no police work; or to avoid probing or dealing with situations where conflict is likely (e.g., chasing drug dealers) (Muir, 1997; willing, 1999).

Physical Force and Discourtesy

Excessive force and discourtesy are two of the most serious complaints logged against an officer. Excessive force complaints have long been a hot button topic, and departments engaged in community policing are increasingly sensitive to the issue of police discourtesy. Given the importance placed on these behaviors, do officers who received a high number of force and discourtesy complaints engage in such behaviors at a rate higher than their counterparts with few to no complaints?

Agitators

Officers with a high number of complaints may not necessarily engage in improper behavior, but they may be more apt to use tactics that tend to anger or frustrate the citizen.