The ethos of bravery, autonomy, and secrecy are ultimate parts of the police subculture. They also provide support and an overview of other aspects and themes of police sub-culture, such as social isolation and solidarity. The police officers’ central communication circle involves other police officers, so regulations are necessary for their sub-culture. The function of subculture is not limited by the communication pattern and sense of society; it also includes conflict resolution, aggressive administrator supervision, and protection from hostility. Moreover, becoming a valued member of the team positively affects their work productivity despite primarily working with citizens.
Postulates developed based on sub-cultural ethos represent basic principles and regulations of their duties. Postulates include the connection between the common principles of the police sub-culture and responsibilities emphasized by law. Postulates could involve different combinations of ethos in their foundation. For example, the focus of restricting the public from the full range of information or “no need to know” uses secrecy. Also, the principle of secrecy is related to the theme of solidarity and loyalty.
For instance, “don’t give up another cop” or “watch out for your partner first and then the rest of the guys working that tour” illustrate duties not to harm fellows. Talking about the ethos of bravery, it is applied as motivation to complete responsibilities in dangerous situations. Another function of postulates of bravery is to regulate aggression. For example, “be aggressive when you have to, but don’t too eager” and “if you look for trouble, it will find you” shows that principle. Postulates control the situation by applying features of the subcultural structure.