Reference no: EM133106307

According to the readings in the assigned chapters, law enforcement agencies are filled with officers who came to the job with certain sets of values that were ingrained in them well before they submitted their application packet. These values are relatively universal among law enforcement officers, regardless of such variables as race, gender, age, etc. Further, the readings teach us that belief in these values is not impacted by organizational attempts to reshape value systems through training. The research indicates that law enforcement agencies are comprised primarily of employees from one particular societal group, whose values differ from other groups.

This results in a subculture in which law enforcement officers form strong bonds with one another through shared values and experiences. Officers are there for each other in ways that non-officers can't be, because only fellow officers can possibly understand the occupational perils. Outsiders make unfair judgements on officers' conduct without grasping the associated intricacies and nuances. Officers begin to see themselves as a distinct class within society. The rest of society exists day-to-day within a bubble of blissful ignorance, unaware of the dangers surrounding them. Officers exist in a culture that sees them as the one barrier between peace and chaos; they are the sheepdogs protecting the flock.