Police subculture

Police Subculture
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The police subculture puts barriers between the police and the community in a number of ways. The subculture is characterized by self-differentiation. According to Wesley (1970), the police subculture makes the police officers to serve the public in an unfriendly manner. They view the public as hostile and untrustworthy and serve in an ‘us vs. them’ manner despite sharing a number of cultural aspects. Consequently, they unite become secretive. The public also views the police as different and this theme of us vs. them gets entrenched across the police public-divide thus hindering effective policing.
The police subculture also inculcates isolationism (Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2011). When self-differentiation is not counteracted, the police officers feel they are isolated from the public. A typical police officer socializes mostly with fellow police officers partly because of the perceived public hostility. They may feel getting too close to a given member of the public may compromise their discretion should the person get into trouble.
According to the conflict theorist sociological perspective, the police subculture either makes its members side with powerful groups against the other members of the public or separate them from the same people they exist to serve. In the process of giving junior officers the cues in identifying potential criminals, the police subculture may promote racial profiling and other discriminatory practices.

In a nutshell, this subculture makes the police view themselves as always right and members of the public as always wrong (Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2011).
Efforts should be made to remove these barriers and improve relations between the police and the community. The police force must ensure that in as much as it strives to develop its own culture, this should not alienate it from the community it serves. Practices which enhance the police mission, whether originating from the parent culture or internally cultivated, need to be encouraged whereas those that deviate from this should be discouraged.
References
Palmiotto, M., & Unnithan, N. P. (2011). Policing & society: A global approach. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Westley, W. A. (1970). Violence and the Police: A Sociological Study of Law, Custom, and Morality. New York: New York University Press.