“HEADHUNTER” OR “REAL COP”?

Abstract

This article examines the ways in which internal affairs (IA) officers cope with the stigma associated with their role within police organizations. IA officers in four police departments in the Southwest were interviewed about relations with non-IA officers, and two broad strategies of identity management were found. First, IA officers used the justifications of “denial of the victim” and “appeals to higher loyalty” to account for their actions. Second, they used the destigmatization techniques of “aristocratization” and “transcendence” to refute the “headhunter” stereotype of IA officers. The article concludes with a discussion of the theoretical significance of these strategies and notes the functional nature of the IA stigma for various groups.