Corruption in the Buenos Aires Provincial Police Contemporary Discourse and Suggestions for Future Research
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BAD COP, BAD COP: CORRUPTION IN THE BUENOS AIRES PROVINCIAL POLICE CONTEMPORARY DISCOURSE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Georgetown University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Development Management and Policy By Jacob R. Elsen, B.A. Washington, DC August 23, 2016 Copyright 2016 by Jacob R. Elsen All Rights Reserved ii BAD COP, BAD COP: CORRUPTION IN THE BUENOS AIRES PROVINCIAL POLICE CONTEMPORARY DISCOURSE AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH Jacob R. Elsen, B.A. Thesis Advisor: Aranzazu Guillan-Montero, Ph.D. ABSTRACT This thesis comprehensively reviews literature pertaining to police corruption in the Buenos Aires Provincial Police. In doing so, it organizes and synthesizes contemporary discourse on this topic and suggests areas for future scholarly study in order to better understand corruption in this particular case. This thesis argues that the global police corruption literature provides an analytical framework for assessing the breadth of the police corruption literature specific to the Buenos Aires Provincial Police. In this way, this thesis reviews the global police corruption literature and finds that scholars have researched four principal areas of study: the definitions and typologies of police corruption, the causes of police corruption, the nature and organization of police corruption, and preventive strategies. These areas of research and their key findings are subsequently employed as an analytical framework for organizing discussion of the case-specific literature and suggesting areas in need of further scholarly study on this particular case. This review finds that each of these main areas of study present topics that have been widely researched in the context of the Buenos Aires Provincial Police, as well as others that have received little or no attention and therefore merit further study. iii This thesis is dedicated to my family and to Cristian for your unconditional love and support over these years. It truly means the world to me. My utmost gratitude to Aranzazu Guillan-Montero for your continued mentoring and support throughout this project. Your expertise has strengthened this research in innumerable ways. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ...........................................................................................................................1 I. Research Justification and Hypothesis .....................................................................................5 II. Methods ...................................................................................................................................6 i. Review of the Global Police Corruption Literature ..........................................................8 ii. Review of the Case-Specific Literature ...........................................................................9 III. Organization of this Thesis ..................................................................................................10 CHAPTER 1: DEFINITIONS AND TYPOLOGIES OF POLICE CORRUPTION ....................12 I. Defining Police Corruption ....................................................................................................13 i. Misuse of Authority ........................................................................................................14 ii. Gain................................................................................................................................17 iii. Boundaries and “Grey Areas” ......................................................................................19 II. Typologies of Police Corruption ...........................................................................................22 III. Final Comments ...................................................................................................................28 CHAPTER 2: THE CAUSES OF POLICE CORRUPTION ........................................................30 I. Individual-level Factors ..........................................................................................................32 i. Personality Defects, Vices, and Background ..................................................................32 ii. Addictive Element of Corruption ..................................................................................33 II. Police Agency Factors ...........................................................................................................34 i. Constant Factors .............................................................................................................34 ii. Variable Factors .............................................................................................................37 III. External Factors ...................................................................................................................41 i. Political Environment .....................................................................................................42 ii. External Oversight .........................................................................................................43 iii. Other External Factors ..................................................................................................45 IV. Final Comments ...................................................................................................................46 CHAPTER 3: THE CAUSES OF CORRUPTION IN THE BUENOS AIRES PROVINCIAL POLICE..................................................................................................................47 I. Police Agency Factors .............................................................................................................48 i. Constant Factors .............................................................................................................49 a. Authoritarian Legacies .......................................................................................49 b. Police Culture.....................................................................................................51 ii. Variable Factors .............................................................................................................53 a. Militarized Structure, Hierarchy, and Centralization .........................................53 b. Recruitment and Screening Procedures .............................................................55 c. Training ..............................................................................................................57 d. Leadership ..........................................................................................................58 e. Wages and Benefits ............................................................................................60 f. Resources and Budget ........................................................................................61 g. Internal Accountability Systems ........................................................................62 II. External Environment Factors ...............................................................................................64 i. Political Environment: Mano Dura and Fear of Crime ..................................................65 ii. Political Environment: Federalism ................................................................................68 iii. Political Environment: Political Collusion and Political Policing ...............................70 iv. External Oversight: Police Autonomy ..........................................................................73 v v. External Oversight: The Courts .....................................................................................75 vi. External Oversight: The Media.....................................................................................76 III. Final Comments and Suggestions for Future Research .......................................................77 i. Police Agency Causes: Comparing the Global and PPBA Literatures ...........................79 ii. Police Agency Causes: Suggestions for Future Research .............................................81 iii. External Environment Causes: Comparing the Global and PPBA Literatures ............82 iv. External Environment Causes: Suggestions for Future Research ................................84 CHAPTER 4: THE NATURE AND ORGANIZATION OF POLICE CORRUPTION: GLOBAL AND CASE-SPECIFIC FINDINGS ....................................................86 I. Global Literature Findings......................................................................................................87 i. The Collective Nature of Corruption and Behavior Rationalization ..............................87 ii. The Role of Police Leadership ......................................................................................91 II. Case-Specific Findings ..........................................................................................................92 i. Regulation of Criminal Activity .....................................................................................92 ii. Provision of Illegal Protection .......................................................................................95 iii. Organization of Corruption Networks ..........................................................................97 III. Final Comments .................................................................................................................102