HEADHUNTER OR REAL COP - IDENTITY IN THE WORLD OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS OFFICERS

This article examines the ways in which internal affairs (IA) officers cope with the stigma associated with their role within police organiz ations. IA officers in four police departments in the Southwest were i nterviewed about relations with non-IA officers, and two broad strateg ies of identify management were found. First, IA officers used the jus tifications of ''denial of the victim'' and ''appeals to higher loyali ty'' to account for their actions. Second, they used the destigmatizat ion techniques of ''aristocratization'' and ''transcendence'' to refut e 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.