Deviant organizational messages among suspect police officers in Israel

In light of criticism against the Israel National Police in recent years fo r excessive use of physical force, the personal views of Israeli police off icers were elicited regarding the illegal use of force. Personal questionna ires were administered to a sample od police officers who had been investig ates for using illegal force against citizens between 1989 and 1997. Inform al messages contrary to the organization's formal messages regarding the us e of force, and justifying it in certain circumstances and for certain type s of offense, seemed highly prevalent, especially among middle-rank police officers. The results obtained provide support for the existence of a devia nt organizational subculture.