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Citizen Complaints and Problems OfficersExamining Officer BehaviorChapter thirteen talks close to the practice of law being a macrocosm institution, that relies on a cave in of legitimacy rooted in public trust and confidence. Complaints that become intelligence activity events can wear away confidence among an even wider audience. This chapter provides the unique probability to combine citizen complaint data with actual observations. It examines the behavior of identified puzzle officers, as well as whose who argon not labeled as such.Systematic research on law misconduct suggests most citizen complaints are generated by a handful of officers. In 1991, the Christopher Commission released its review of the Los Angeles legal philosophy Department in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles patrol Department, 1991). From its investigation, the Commission reported that a small group of officers were responsible for a disproportionate nu mber of citizen complaints. Forty-four officers who had six or more allegations of extravagant force or improper tactics were identified and labeled job officers. It stands to reason that officers who repeatedly receive citizen complaints will be looked upon with suspicion, reflecting the saying- where theres smoke theres often fire. Perspectives on Citizen Complaints and Problem OfficersAs a result of the adversarial nature of the police-citizen relationship, situations arise in which avoidance of fight is not an option. Not every citizen willingly accepts an officers comment of a situation instead, he or she may choose to prove against or challenge the authority of the police officer. Van Maanen (1978) noted this sheath of citizen, termed asshole by police, was likely to receive street safeice in the form of thumping. Though Van Maanens fieldwork took place three decades ago, police continue to confront citizens they label as assholes who challenge their authority (Mastrofs ki, Reisig, and McCluuskey, 1991). more(prenominal) precisely, thumping an asshole has garnered an increasing amount of both departmental and public attention (Skolnick and Fyfe, 1993). At least three different perspectives on the meat of citizen complaints are possible. First, it may be that citizen complaints tell us little to zero because they are unreliable or invalid indicators of officers behavior. devil arguments can be made in this respect. A citizen complaint is just that- a citizen complaint. It is the citizens view or perception that the officer acted illegitimately or improperly, which is unlikely to be informed by rules and procedures by police departments establishing uniform operating standards.