Police corruption is legally, morally and ethically wrong. The art of bribery has existed from the beginning of policing to the present day. The investigation uncovered several acts of dishonesty and crimes ranging from petty theft to murder. To help fight corruption, the government creates commissions such as the Knapp and Wickersham Commission to investigate allegations of corruption. If acts of corruption are discovered and proven, the commission takes criminal action against the police. As the allegations persist, you may ask: 1. What is police corruption?2. What is the corruption continuum?3. Is there a code of silence?4. What is being done to prevent corruption?5. What are the effects of police corruption? This review of police corruption will focus on answering the above three questions. What is police corruption? While there is no concise definition of police corruption, many define it as the abuse of police authority for personal gain. The key element of corrupt behavior is that the conduct (1) is prohibited by law or regulation, (2) involves an abuse of position, and (3) results in a reward or personal gain for the officer (Hess, 2009, 2006). Recognition of police corruption only came to the fore in the 1970s. The Knapp Commission formed in 1972 identified corrupt officials as “Grass Eaters” and “Flesh Eaters”. The professionalism movement of the 1970s aggressively addressed the problem of corruption by creating more vigilant hiring practices, internal investigations, and improving standards and quality management. Accepting a cup of coffee or a small tip can trigger the downward spiral into police corruption. Once the officer buys...half a sheet...within the department. Corruption costs the nation, and continues to cost the nation, millions of dollars a year to try to detect, deter and correct it. In summary, corruption still persists in many police departments. Although the government has acknowledged these criminal acts, many officials tend to turn a blind eye to the nature of the crimes. Many members of law enforcement practice a code of silence to protect each other, however commissions have been formed to counter this disturbing behavior. As a result, many departments have turned to internal and external procedures to help combat this ongoing concern. As the public grows weary of police tactics, the government has begun to step up its strategy in the fight against police dishonesty. Police corruption will continue to haunt the nation as long as police officials believe they are above the law.