Picture this: your friend has done something horrible (say, constant stalking) to a stranger, and he asks you to take a stand for him. You know that his actions are difficult to “twist,” so it becomes the truth. But because you love your friend so much, you try to defend your friend to the best of your abilities. At the end of the day, the two parties just reach for a compromise. This compromise may be advantageous to you and your friend, but in reality, you just defended a crime that is unconscionable. Meanwhile, the victim may fear that they may experience such a creepy situation again some time in their life.
This concept is somewhat similar to the police culture dubbed by the media as the “Blue Wall of Silence.” This “Wall” has existed for a long time that aims to continually protect the welfare of the police force. But what is this so-called “Wall?” Why do we need to know that such a culture exists? In this article, we will try to climb above this “Wall” and try to decipher this police culture.
What Is the Blue Wall of Silence?
The “Blue Wall of Silence” has already been around since the mid-to-late 19th century among the police ranks. This tradition, also known as the “Blue Code” or “Blue Shield,” was first triggered in New York. The unwritten law is defined as “A rule among police officers not to report on another officer’s errors, misconducts, and or crimes when questioned about an incident of misconduct involving another colleague, during a course of an inquiry.”
This code aims to preserve loyalty in the police force among its personnel. Even if the general public screams “police brutality” on their ears, a police officer must not be bothered by the errors and misconduct of another cop. This code can drastically hurt victims of police brutality, for they can never get justice from these actions. The Blue Wall of Silence is perpetrated among the police force and culture, even if the public continually condemns it.
As stated above, the Blue Wall of Silence started in the 19th century with the Pinkerton National Detective Agency. They usually use police officers in curbing labor strikes. Coincidentally, most police officers during those times are members of the infamous Ku Klux Klan (KKK). They protect each other when committing racist acts, thus the roots of the Blue Wall of Silence. These actions later gave rise to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, aiming to end discriminatory policing and give more rights to the public.
This traditional code tries to maintain police loyalty to the police force. According to NPR’s Eric Westervelt, this impregnable code came to light in the case of Haitian immigrant Abner Louima. The said immigrant was helplessly tortured by the Brooklyn Police, who handles his custody. This wall was first reported by Jerome Skolnick around April 2000. The case was brought into trial on May 4, and it has taken two surprising turns. First, three policemen turned against their fellow Justin A. Volpe that the latter indeed “sodomized” Louima with a wooden stick at a restroom on the 70th Precinct. These three cops broke the “wall of silence” that was so “sacred” within the police culture. Second, the accused officer pleaded guilty to these allegations. This trial shocked the community about how the police force could handle such inhumane acts. Media reports treated the three policemen like whistleblowers that reveal the so-called “blue line of silence” among uniformed personnel. The mass protests against the murder of Amadou Diallo, another victim of police brutality, led these three cops to reveal this wall of silence.
Police Brutality and the Blue Wall of Silence
We all know the police force possesses a standard ethic that is so distinct from the public. Their military-like structure, utmost discipline and obedience, high levels of isolation, suspiciousness, and unity make them unique among the organizations in the world. Due to the isolation and elevated form of discipline among the cops, it is expected among individual personnel to remain loyal to the police force for life. These characteristics also served as their uniting force, from their work to their personal lives. So if someone from their ranks did something “crooked,” they must shut their minds and remain silent, thus the so-called “blue wall of silence.”
Because of this high regard for police loyalty, this “police culture” has hampered any proceedings on the investigation of corrupt officers. This culture among police officers evolves through their own experiences and the work environment. This culture is ingrained among the cops from the start of their careers.
Studies of police corruption in the last 20 years have confused the public on what “police corruption” is. A Newburn study conducted in 1999 claimed that some deviant police actions are not really considered corrupt but rather tolerated. This claim is further affirmed by a 2012 investigation of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The public finds it hard to define “police corruption,” but any questionable acts may be considered serious corruption. This judgment will depend on the context of the action under scrutiny.
As mentioned above, police corruption can confuse the public as there is no objective definition of this. As John Kleinig points out, there are many variants of police corruption: there is “acquisitive corruption” and “noble cause corruption.” Acquisitive corruption is the acceptance of something. This practice includes accepting bribes to give leeway to organized crimes and even something petty, such as taking a free cup of coffee from the public. Meanwhile, noble cause corruption is the practice of deviating from the standard ethics and procedures of a cop for personal or organizational benefit. This kind of corruption is more difficult to identify as there is no tangible evidence for such. This kind of corruption is usually motivated by the unjust nature of the criminal justice system. Examples of such are document falsification, excessive punishment executed among the “bad guys,” and a word of warning among the “good guys,” even if there is obvious evidence of legal violations. Helping a colleague “in need” because of the officer’s offense or extracting information from the Police National Computer without legal or operational reasons to access are other examples of noble cause corruption.
Cases of Blue Wall of Silence
Classic examples of the cops’ code of silence include sexual assault. The inequality in society causes the police to take advantage of those in the marginalized and criminalized part of the society. Sex workers and other underprivileged members of society are usually victims of police brutality because they are not usually expected to press charges against the police force.
Because of this police culture of silence, the cops get the privilege of being acquitted, thanks to the collaborative silence and cover-ups among their peers. One example is the acquittal of a police officer of alleged rape against a 17-year old girl. 11 out of 12 jurors found the police is not guilty of doing sexual penetration on the minor. Police abuse must be vigilantly checked, and solutions against the root cause of women’s abuse must be thoroughly addressed to prevent such problems from arising again.
Another Blue Wall of Silence case has affected Frank Jude Jr., who was viciously beaten on Oct. 24 by off-duty police officers. The New York Daily News report says that Barry failed to supervise her unit and was assigned to midnight tours. This is due to her revealing the truths on the actions of the off-duty cops, which is an apparent deviation from the Blue Wall of Silence. A righteous act by a police officer is clearly overshadowed by this “Great Wall” of police silence.
Because of the “Blue Wall of Silence,” police brutality will be perpetuated. Any officer who tries to destroy the wall will be severely punished, and police abuse victims may not attain the justice they deserve.
What Are the Laws Concerning the Blue Wall of Silence?
The Blue Wall of Silence may be difficult to destroy, but there are pertinent laws that give protection for cops who stand against their corrupt fellow. It is addressed by the UK Policing Academy’s code of ethics that was implemented in 2014. An officer may report their fellow for corrupt practices. Attempts to professionalize policing have come to fruition with the establishment of the UK Home Office’s College of Policing in 2012 and its Code of Ethics in 2014. Police disciplinary actions are also publicized to somehow curb silence on police brutality. However, the “Blue Wall of Silence” has proven to be truly hard to knock down as it is still rampant among police officers.
The Blue Wall of Silence is the culture among cops to remain silent when their fellow does corrupt practices. Because of this, justice has not been served among victims of police brutality. Friendships and solidarity are some of the key reasons why this code is maintained by the cops. Seniority, i.e., obedience to the higher ranks, is another reason why police continually defend this code. There is no moral dilemma in following this “code” of silence. Thus there is nothing wrong with following the Blue Wall of Silence.
Another cause of the “Blue Wall of Silence” is to restraint terrorism and drug use. These two kinds of crime usually involve brute force, and thus, depending on police training, the cops may be aggressive in facing such acts. However, this practice may also affect those who are not involved in such crimes. Police brutality may then be apparent among these cops.
The “Blue Wall of Silence” may help protect the cops in question, but this kind of protection actually defends a criminal. This action is not expected from those who must curb crime and corruption in society. Hopefully, through the curious nature of society and the continued vigilance of the media, this unwritten “Blue Wall of Silence” will crumble someday, and justice will finally be served for those victims of police brutality.
This article was prepared by the Association Against Abuse of Police Powers and Privileges (AAAPPP), a UK not-for-profit organisation specializing in assisting victims of abuse of power and corruption in the UK Police.
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