Why Is Discipline Needed in the Police Force?
Discipline is required in the police force to ensure that the officers don’t become consumed with power, and that they continue to obey the laws that they enforce. Each police department has their own way of disciplining their officers.
Traditionally, police departments focus on disciplining their officers by fitting the punishment to the specific offense. However, this creates an unhealthy tension as there are concerns about too much discipline and, in other cases, not enough.
Alternative disciplinary actions include giving officers the opportunity to work in the community so they can grow to learn the cultural differences, a scenario that was enacted by the Houston Police Department. On the other hand, the Los Angeles Police Department focuses on building discipline into employee development models to spur success.