Police corruption and misconduct manifests itself in many different forms. A basic definition of police corruption is when an officer is involved in offenses in which they use their position, by action or omission, to gain improper financial advantage. The main reason for this corruption is usually personal gain, such as bribery. Police abuse of authority occurs in three different general areas, such as physical violence, psychological violence, and legal violence. Physical violence is abuse in which excessive force or physical harassment is used. Psychological violence manifests itself through disrespect, harassment, ridicule, excessive control or intimidation. Finally, legal abuse is abuse that occurs during illegal searches and seizures or fabrication of evidence (Pollock, 2012). One source describes police corruption eight different ways. They include: corruption of authority, bribery, opportunistic theft, extortion, protection of illegal acts, reparation, direct criminal acts and internal bribery (Roebuck and Barker, 1974). To address the different types of corruption and misconduct, Pollock discusses six. You have gratuities, professional courtesy, alcohol and drug use on the job, corruption, sexual misconduct, and criminal cops. Rewards are essentially items that are given to individuals, not because of the relationship between the receiver and the giver, but rather because of the role or position of the recipient. A common example would be accepting free coffee. Many stores offer such things to appreciate the work of officers. The Holiday Gas Station in Marquette is a great example. The store offers free coffee to officers in the Marquette area. Police courtesy is a common practice of not giving a...... middle of paper...... reason tends to be the reason for the misconduct, so changing it is a important aspect. Finally, a ministry needs ethical leadership. If strict and fair discipline is involved, then potential misconduct is deterred (Pollock, 2012). One might ask if law enforcement officers strive to protect the public, why would they engage in corruption as they do? As we described above, corruption plays a significant role in the law enforcement sector. The whole concept is quite complex, although it may seem self-explanatory to many people. Knowing the many types of corruption and misconduct is therefore only the beginning of understanding why officers commit the conduct for which they do. With all of this, it becomes clear that certain steps must be taken to rid society and police departments of the behaviors that are constantly present..