What is cop culture, and what does it provide for police officers?

The informal, unwritten culture of police officers that translates abstract legal expectations into concrete rules for action. It rests on a binary "us versus them" view and gives officers clear orientation, group solidarity and a sense of shared danger.

The term comes from the sociologist Rafael Behr. Cop culture is distinct from the official police culture (the institution's written rules and mission statement). It is:

• the translation of the legislator's abstract expectations into concrete instructions for action,
• the normative frame for practical police work,
• cultural patterns of action that turn theory into everyday practice and are not written down,
• patterns of "correct" police behaviour built on a binary world view (us / the others),
• a practical counter-model to the institution's theoretical, legalistic and politically correct rules.

Its aims:

• to make a life with clear normative orientation possible,
• to ensure the strength, support and survival of the group,
• to turn the community of danger into a community of fate (Gefahrengemeinschaft = Schicksalsgemeinschaft).

The same solidarity that protects officers in danger can become Korpsgeist (esprit de corps that covers up wrongdoing), see the card on structural integrity.

Go deeper:

• Wikipedia: Police culture — officers' shared values and how they shape the use of power.