Police deviance refers to behavior that does not conform to which of the following?

• A. Standards or norms or expectations
• B. Legal statutes only
• C. Organizational policies only
• D. Ethical standards only

Answer: (A)

Police deviance is behavior that breaks the standards, norms, and expectations attached to the policing role. That broad idea is why the best answer is the one referring to standards or norms or expectations—the term captures violations that go beyond merely following the law or obeying departmental rules. An officer can act in ways that violate informal norms or professional expectations without breaking a statute, or can break policies and ethics as well as laws, so focusing on the full set of expected behaviors of the police makes the most sense. The other options are too narrow: legal statutes alone miss non-criminal departures from policing norms; organizational policies alone miss violations of public expectations or ethical norms; ethical standards alone miss violations that are illegal or policy-based.