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Citizen Complaints and Problems OfficersExamining Officer BehaviorChapter thirteen talks around the practice of law being a macrocosm institution, that relies on a kick in of legitimacy rooted in public trust and confidence. Complaints that become news program events can wear away confidence among an even wider audience. This chapter provides the unique fortune to combine citizen complaint data with actual observations. It examines the behavior of identified paradox officers, as well as whose who ar not labeled as such.Systematic research on guard misconduct suggests most citizen complaints are generated by a handful of officers. In 1991, the Christopher Commission released its review of the Los Angeles jurisprudence Department in the aftermath of the Rodney King riots (Independent Commission on the Los Angeles practice of law Department, 1991). From its investigation, the Commission reported that a small group of officers were responsible for a disproportionate number of citizen complaints. Forty-four officers who had six or more allegations of overweening force or improper tactics were identified and labeled bother officers. It stands to reason that officers who repeatedly receive citizen complaints will be looked upon with suspicion, reflecting the saying- where theres smoke theres often fire. Perspectives on Citizen Complaints and Problem OfficersAs a result of the adversarial nature of the police-citizen relationship, situations arise in which avoidance of impinge is not an option. Not every citizen willingly accepts an officers comment of a situation instead, he or she may choose to originate against or challenge the authority of the police officer. Van Maanen (1978) noted this grapheme of citizen, termed asshole by police, was likely to receive street vindicatoryice in the form of thumping. Though Van Maanens fieldwork took place three decades ago, police continue to confront citizens they label as assholes who challenge their authorit y (Mastrofski, Reisig, and McCluuskey, 1991). more than precisely, thumping an asshole has garnered an increasing amount of both departmental and public attention (Skolnick and Fyfe, 1993). At least three different perspectives on the heart of citizen complaints are possible. First, it may be that citizen complaints tell us little to nought because they are unreliable or invalid indicators of officers behavior. cardinal arguments can be made in this respect. A citizen complaint is just that- a citizen complaint. It is the citizens view or perception that the officer acted illegitimately or improperly, which is unlikely to be informed by rules and procedures by police departments establishing uniform operating standards.