Ethical Issues In Law Enforcement

247 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Ethics in criminal justice

There is a tremendous degree of expectation placed upon the law enforcement profession. It demands high ethical quality because they represent their profession, their whole agency, badge and their obligation to serve the public. Law enforcement officers are given the role to uphold the law and to protect the public and property, and must employ sound judgement and discretion. Their ethical decision making process is crucial in order to perform their commitment professionally to build and maintain public trust. Due to law enforcement’s high profile, their conduct and actions while conducting their jobs are invariably in the public’s eye due to their high visibility. They are often evaluated by the public if they act in some way that the public

Show More
Related

  • P. O. Michael Dowd Case Study

    1380 Words  | 3 Pages

    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,

    Read More

  • Ethics in Criminal Justice

    581 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Ethical Dilemmas In Policing Essay

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    As stated in the textbook, police often have to make decisions on their own, with only their moral compass to guide them. Most ethical dilemmas that police officers face derive from their powers of discretion. Moral dilemmas that police officers face are often frequent and unavoidable. They are often unpopular with many people, resolved quickly, and are often dealt with alone.

    Read More

  • Discretion in Police Duties

    1036 Words  | 3 Pages

    Police officers often encounter situations where the decision to use discretion challenges the way and the type of job that officers would normally conduct. Each day an officer is on the job, discretion when it comes to job duties appears, sometimes without any warning. Officers constantly struggle with the appearance of discretion, and often times do not know how to handle the situation when it does appear. Discretion may take many different forms in the job duties, but it always involves the officer letting a crime “slide,” rather than questioning every suspicious person. Letting a crime “slide,” for certain offenders, is of great concern for the administrators of police departments, because there is potential for ethical issues to surface later on. This essay will examine police discretion, factors that influence discretion, whether exercising discretion is appropriate, and the concerns that administrators have when it comes to police using discretion in the field.

    Read More

  • The Law Enforcement Profession

    1709 Words  | 4 Pages

    Law enforcement agencies nationwide have repeatedly been shaken by controversy and forced to make undesirable concessions. Has law enforcement failed to maintain the high standards required by the profession? The cost of public trust is high. It increases each time faith must be regain. Historically, law enforcement agencies throughout the nation have experienced periods of low confidence in communities preceding episodes deemed to be a breach of trust.

    Read More

  • Police Misconduct and Corruption

    2505 Words  | 6 Pages

    The article Police Integrity: Rankings of Scenarios on the Klockars Scale by “Management Cops,” conveys that the different scenarios for each definition and the nature of police work make this corruption difficult to specifically define (Vito 153). Since it is so challenging to correctly define, the three broad ca...

    Read More

  • Ethics in Law Enforcement

    621 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Problem Of Police Brutality In The Media

    1705 Words  | 4 Pages

    Crime is a part of society encompases the news and the public. A variety of studies of media content have estimated that as much as 25 percent of the daily news is devoted to crime (Surette 1992) and that crime is the largest major category of stories in the print and electronic media (Chermak 1994, 103). (Lawrence 18). With crime at an all time high, police are constantly having to deal with more and more issues. This can lead to stressed out and fed up officers, which can lead to poor decisions by an officer. The use of force by police is a highly controversial topic as it raises questions about a government’s ability to use force against its citizens (Lawrence 19). Today’s society is caught up on the ideals of civility and equality before the law, making police use of force a touchy

    Read More

  • Police Department Vs Law Enforcement Essay

    1754 Words  | 4 Pages

    At some point in our lives, everybody eventually comes in contact with a law enforcement officer, some people for different reasons. Law enforcement officers work around the clock to keep citizens safe. Many people do not know a lot of things about law enforcement, some of those will be discussed. Those topics are agency administration, issues with law enforcement in today’s society, and law enforcement history.

    Read More

  • Discretion And Discretion

    2298 Words  | 5 Pages

    So much is to be said about law enforcement and the discretion that is needed to maintain good order, impeccable judgment, and discipline within the ranks. Discretion is a topic that varies from person to person and institution to institution; it holds many different meanings and can be used negatively if sound judgment is not exhibited.

    Read More

  • Police Corruption and Misconduct

    1678 Words  | 4 Pages

    One may ask themselves, if law enforcement officers are working to protect the public, why would they commit corruption like they do? As it is described above, corruption is a big part in the law enforcement sector of society. The entire concept is quite complex although it may seem self explanatory to many people. Learning the many types of corruption and misconduct is only the beginning, then, to understand why the officers commit the conduct for which they do. With all this, it becomes apparent to the certain measures that need to be taken to rid society and police departments of the conduct that is constantly present.

    Read More

  • Law Enforcement and Ethics

    2227 Words  | 5 Pages

    It is often said that power brings corruption, but in reality it is an individual’s lack of character, self-discipline, and integrity that leads to corruption. Law enforcement can bring many temptations on the job, and maintaining an up most level of personal integrity can often times be very difficult. The very nature of the job surrounds officers with all of the bad things that society, produces. There can be an endless amount of training and rules put into place to try and deter officers from committing unethical acts, but in the end it really just comes down to the specific individual and their willingness to do the right thing.

    Read More

  • Ethical Issue Of Police Corruption

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    In this essay, I will examine the ethical issues surrounding police corruption and discretion in the criminal justice system. I will also define legality and equity and how they relate to police corruption and discretion. Police corruption and discretion are ethical issues that have been negatively impacting the criminal justice system for years. Police corruption weakens the public 's confidence in law enforcement officers. It also hinders the effectiveness of law enforcement officers whose job is to serve and protect. I will also define police corruption and discretion and the reasons behind police misconduct.

    Read More

  • Criminal Justice Ethics

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    You probably shouldn't take. Common sense uncovers to us that taking isn't right. Regardless, all over taking has all the earmarks of being less wrong, or not wrong by any methods, after we discover the reason for the taking conduct. For example, if the way that your family is starving makes you take a piece of bread, many would express that you are not as blamable as someone who removes from greed or disdain. Additionally, envision a habitual pilferer who can't control her taking conduct. We in all likelihood shouldn't blame her for those actions (be that as it may we may encourage her to consult a pro about her condition).

    Read More

  • Ethics in Criminal Justice Professions

    949 Words  | 2 Pages

    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).

    Read More

More about Ethical Issues In Law Enforcement

Open Document