Suspect Police Officers Investigated by Former Police Officers: Good Idea, Bad Idea?

In: Law & policy, Band 23, Heft 4, S. 441-467

Abstract

Up to 1992, all illegal use‐of‐force complaints against police officers in Israel were handled internally by the police department. In 1992, following public and political pressure, an external civilian board was established to handle such cases. In this framework, investigations of suspect police officers are conducted by former police officers. In this study, investigators' and suspects' personal and organizational characteristics were examined, as well as their attitudes to the civilian board and the manifestation of police violence. In general, the two groups were found to differ significantly on both levels. The employment of former police officers with high professional qualities seems to have some advantages in this investigative situation.