Why are internal affairs units important? What function do they serve and why do they come under criticism?
What will be an ideal response?
The internal affairs branch investigates charges of corruption or misconduct on the part of police officers. In other words, they "police the police." Some functions of the internal affairs branch include processing citizen complaints of police corruption, investigating whether force was necessary or unnecessary, and looking at police participation in actual criminal activity, such as burglaries or narcotics violations. They might also assist police managers when disciplinary action is brought against individual officers. This function is important because self-scrutiny is the only way departments can earn the respect of citizens. Without any oversight, the perception is that officers could get away with many counts of corruption without receiving any punishment for their actions. The controversy surrounding these branches of the department is that internal affairs is often feared and distrusted by fellow officers. In this way, the internal affairs branch could be less effective than intended, as other officers avoid them or lie to them to protect other officers that they like and trust more.
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a. True b. False
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Indicate whether the statement is true or false