Criminal Justice Codes of Ethics

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Since the 1800’s, the main duties of a uniformed police officer revolved around carrying out patrols and investigations into crimes (CliffsNotes.com, 2011a). A usual patrol involves the officers either walking on foot or using vehicles travel around neighborhoods as a way of deterring criminal activities (CliffsNotes.com, 2011a).

The investigative part of a police officer’s work usually comes in when a suspect of the case at hand has not been identified (CliffsNotes.com, 2011a). Usually, the detective has to sift through some evidence so as to identify the leads to the suspect. Finally, there are special activities that require specialized law enforcement personnel to carry out. These activities include traffic control and drug control (CliffsNotes.com, 2011a).

It is clear from all this that the job of a typical police officer is hazardous. The police organization borrows much of its organizational structure from the military (CliffsNotes.com, 2011b). With its bureaucratic structure and the lines of command that pervade the organization, its culture can lead to inflexibility. It can also lead to a culture of indifference amongst the police (CliffsNotes.com, 2011b). With the tendency of the organization to ape their counterparts in the military, its workers are pre-disposed to violence. This is one example of how an organization’s culture can influence the decisions of its personnel. Furthermore, an authoritarian form of leadership also plays a great role in nurturing a domineering air in a police officer (CliffsNotes.com, 2011b). For example, the use of guns, the use of police swoops as a means of fighting crime, and the use of uniforms that closely resemble those of the military have inculcated a domineering character and, t...

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... Department of Justice, 2001). Some form of witness protection should be accorded to me to protect me from retaliatory attacks.

References

CliffsNotes.com (2011). Police Strategies. Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-10065,articleId-9953.html.

CliffsNotes.com (2011). Police Organization. Retrieved from http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-10065,articleId-9952.html

Criminal Justice Code of Ethics (n.d). Retrieved from http://www.oregon.gov/DPSST/SC/docs/F-11.pdf?ga=t

The Importance of Ethics in Criminal Justice. Retrieved from http://www.sagepub.com/upm-data/4031_Banks_Chapter_1_Proof.pdf

U.S Department of Justice (2001). “Principles for Promoting Police Integrity: Examples of Promising Police Practices and Policies”. 7-11. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojp/186189.pdf

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