Police are in a situation where they can use their power to enhance their financial status. They make a decent salary, but they are certainly not wealthy. When they see criminals, such as drug dealers, with great deals of cash they may begin to think that they are on the wrong side of the law. Police are trying to protect our society but are only making a modest salary. Drug dealers are crippling our society and becoming extremely wealthy in doing so. Arresting a drug dealer and finding $300,000 will likely make a cop very bitter towards the justice system in America. Some cops will be willing to use their power to become criminals themselves in order to put more money into their pocket.

When police abuse their power for financial gain, most commonly drugs are involved. A lot of money can be made by police through drug trafficking, whether they are helping to bring in shipments of drugs, selling drugs themselves, or looking the other way so that dealers can sell drugs without a hassle. In May of 1992, “six New York City police officers were arrested by local police on Long Island for cocaine trafficking” (Glazer). “In 1997, six former law officers from Texas were indicted on drug trafficking and corruption charges for smuggling more than 1700 pounds of marijuana into the country” (Holloway). Also, it has been found that instances of bribery among narcotics officers are very high (Holloway).

Drugs are a serious problem in America. They are the cause of a great deal of crime. Many robberies and murders are the result of drug abuse. Among inmates in state prisons, 26.8% of those convicted of murder, 39.9% of those convicted of robbery, and 21.5% of those convicted of sexual assault were under the influence of drugs at the time of the crime (Fallow). If we can’t rely on police to help keep drugs out of the country and off of the streets then there is little hope that America will be safe from drugs. One of the most important crimes for police to be stopping is drug trafficking. It is a big problem if they are aiding in drug trafficking. Bringing 1700 pounds of dope into our country is inexcusable. When police help to bring drugs into our country, they are helping to put drugs in the hands of children all throughout America.

Aside from financial gain, police engage in corruption in order to enhance their political position, such as a badge promotion. In order to gain a promotion, a cop must often make an important arrest. The pressure to make important arrests along with the desire to receive a promotion can cause police to plant false evidence on a suspect in order to build a stronger case against them. An officer admitted to planting drugs in the house of Betty Patterson, a 54-year-old church-going grandmother, in an attempt to build a murder case against her three sons. She served three years in prison on drugs charges because of the planted drugs (Glazer). “In taped interviews with a screenwriter, Los Angeles detective Mark Fuhrman, a key prosecution witness in the trial of O.J. Simpson, boasted of framing and beating black suspects” (Glazer). This ruined the credibility of Fuhrman in the Simpson case, convincing many people that Simpson was framed by police.

When police frame innocent citizens they are doing the exact opposite of what they are hired to do. It is appalling that a cop would be so willing to make an arrest that he would cause an innocent grandmother to serve three years in prison. How can police expect to earn the trust of society if some of them are out there planting false evidence and trying to imprison the innocent? Police framing the innocent also makes it easier for criminals to get away with crimes. Police will lose their credibility when testifying against criminals in court if there are cops out there planting false evidence. Trust between police and innocent citizens is a vital part of the justice system.