Police Corruption

The racist boasts of former detective Mark Fuhrman and recent scandals in New York, Philadelphia and other cities have focused new attention on police misconduct. In years past, corruption typically took the form of bribery, but today it's often brutality or extortion - with innocent citizens often the victims. Some experts contend that anti-crime fervor has unleashed police without accountability to citizens. Others blame low pay and the lure of drug money. Around the country, police departments are experimenting with ways to bring Officer Friendly back - from walking beats to racial-sensitivity training. But some experts doubt these approaches will work. And citizen activists question whether police chiefs have the will to fight the “code of silence” among officers that permits misconduct to continue.