The Code of Silence Within Police Departments

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A psychologist and his colleagues are studying whistle-blowing as a form of loyalty. The study is based on what's called moral foundations theory. Adam was struck by the story of a man who was dying, and he was try protect the person who'd shot him out of kind of a code of silence. There seemed to be something about a code of loyalty.

Have you ever been in a position where you had to choose between someone you care about and a value that you hold dear? Maybe you had to decide whether to report a friend who was cheating on an exam, or a co-worker who was stealing from the tip jar. This week, we tell the story of a Detroit police officer who found himself in this sort of dilemma, forced to choose between people he loved and the oath he swore to serve his community. What happens in our minds when we have to decide what is right and what is wrong?

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