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The role of ethics for police
Explain ethics in law enforcement and policing
The role of ethics for police
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The definition of ethical behavior usually includes the a few things that are the known standards and expectations of society, including trustworthiness, respectfulness and most importantly humility. Usually, these ethical standards are also accepted as professional standards. For law enforcement officers, these standards also include integrity and courageousness. According to an arrival written by the United States Department of Justice, entitled “Ethics and Integrity”, all of these characteristics are fundamental to the effectiveness of police officers and the connections they strive to build with the communities they work in. They also point out police departments can combat negative images by conducting themselves accordingly and applying …show more content…
These are their version of the police code of ethics are as follows: 1) As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice (POLICECODES.ORG, 2008) 2) I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty (POLICECODES.ORG, …show more content…
This is also the same reason why the article is important. It gives the citizens a good look into what the correct behavior for an ethical police officer is. This article is very similar to the article Written by the United States Department of Justice, except their article only gives a short definition of police ethics, and offers a more detailed explanation of why these codes are important and how they can be used to improve the tarnished relationships between communities and their
Their professional commitment is as they are professional police officers they all adhere to the ethical standards of their profession and to place their concerns for the welfare of their community and the citizens of the town above their own personal concerns while doing their police services. They all go by the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics.
"A policeman’s first obligation is to be responsible to the needs of the community he serves…The problem is that the atmosphere does not yet exist in which an honest police officer can act without fear of ridicule or reprisal from fellow officers. We create an atmosphere in which the honest officer fears the dishonest officer, and not the other way around.", -Frank Serpico.
The job of a law enforcement officer sometimes can be tough. Officer are sometimes plagued with situation that test their ability to enforce the law and maintain order. Police officers today face a constant battle to maintain higher ethical standards. This mission becomes tougher each day when one considers the importance of fighting terrorism, drugs, human trafficking,
Each position in criminal justice holds power and responsibility, and therefore, it is very important that said people in those positions do not abuse it. Unethical behavior in the criminal justice system takes away trust and respect from authority, and as a consequence, the law is more easily disregarded if the people lack faith in the system. It can, also, contribute to crime and/or cause citizens to not report crimes. Society should have indubitable confidence in the men and women of the criminal justice system. Law enforcement officers violating even the smallest rule could lead to more serious infractions. Syed (1997) states, "Every instance of corruption bends or violates a rule or law and, similar to the granting of impunity, may contribute to an officer's perceptions of the law as applying differently to different people and increase the ease with which violations can be rationalized." Having less than ethical persons in our criminal justice system can lead to a weakened society, the ruining of lives, and even add to crime.
are to be treated with kindness, respect, politeness, and love that is a police officer 's duty.
Police ethics are extremely important because ethics are the typical of “fair and honest conduct” (pg 460). People may have a different definition of what is fair and what is honest, and there are different circumstances where officers may not be able to be honest; such as covert investigations. Society in general determines what our ethical standards and moral principles are. Individual morals vary among all of us as they are what we as an individual consider to be right or wrong. We also have morals that are set by society. These are what we as a society consider to be right or wrong and may go hand in hand with individual morals. Morals change as society and people change, therefore we as a country have to adapt to what the changing morals are.
Police, at all times, should maintain a relationship with the public that gives reality to the historic tradition that the police are the public and the public are the police; the police being only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interests of community welfare and existence. (New Westminster Police Department, 2014)
Police Officers Oath of Office and Code of Ethics, A Question of knowledge Richard W. Deshon (2000) retrieved from: www.emich.edu/cerns/downloads/papers/PoliceStaff/
In order to have effective policing I believe integrity and ethics play a huge part in helping build trust within communities. Sound conduct by police improves community interactions, enhances communication, and promotes shared responsibility for addressing crime and disorder. There are three ways that police departments can strengthen community relationships just by training officers about procedural justice, bias reduction, and racial reconciliation. If we implement these concepts, we can create an environment in which effective partnerships between the police and citizens can flourish.
Vito, Gennaro F., Scott Wolfe, George E. Higgins, and William F. Walsh. "Police Integrity: Rankings Reprints of Scenarios on the Klockars Scale by “Management Cops”." EBSCO Publishing Service Selection Page. June 2011. Web. 16 Feb. 2015.
Ethics play a huge role in a police officers line of work. Since police are given such a high degree of trust and authority, it can unfortunately be very easy for an officer to fall into some unethical behavior. This can range from just minor acts that are frowned upon, to actual downright illegal activity. Even though there are a countless number of acts and behaviors that can be considered unethical, in the following paper I will focus primarily on those incidents involving police officers who steal for their own personal gain, and discuss my position on the issue.
The three important canons in my opinion are two, four, and eight. “Number two illustrates the proper limits of how individuals, groups, or facilities supposed to maintain themselves accordingly to the laws set in place” (Bohm & Haley, 2011, p.200). This is important as a police official because these exact same laws are put in place to protect both the officer and the individual as to their civil rights. Number four displays the proper way officials supposed to respond to a crime by using the proper means to gain proper ends. Furthermore, officials should keep in mind the laws, training, and the oath that they agreed to as police officers seriously. For Example, when a police makes an arrest they should acknowledge the individual’s possession
Police decisions can affect life, liberty, and property, and as guardians of the interests of the public, police must maintain high standards of integrity. Police discretion concerning how to act in a given situation can often lead to ethical misconduct (Banks 29).
3. maintain courageous calm in the face of danger: I think that this is very important, police officers must not bring their family problems on the job with them. Doing this will only cause more problems for both his occupation and his family life.
Rich, Martin. “An Analytical Look into Police Ethics.” FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Vol.80. Issue 5. May 2011. 11-17. EBSCOhost. Web. 12 Nov 2013