JUS455-7-3FinalProjectSubmissionCaseStudyEthicalAnalysis

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Feb 20, 2024

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Running head: 7-3 Final Project Submission: Case Study Ethical Analysis 7-3 Final Project Submission: Case Study Ethical Analysis Ariel Lippencott Southern New Hampshire University JUS-455 12/7/23

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 2 The scenario I will use for my project is scenario #2. This scenario is about a police officer working a night shift who ends up finding the town mayor in an accident who seems to be impaired by alcohol due to the smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, the slurring of his speech, and the lethargy he is exhibiting. I chose this scenario because for a few reasons, 1) the town mayor was involved in a DUI accident, and 2) it is interesting due to the mayor telling the police officer (me) to not tell anyone and that he has a lot of influence with what goes on at the police station, and that he has had his eye on you as an up-and-comer. I believe the most difficult part of this project would be finding credible and reliable sources to support my decision regarding the scenario. Ethics and Society Overview Society has an impact on ethical behavior in law enforcement by having a different vision towards law enforcement. They impact ethical behavior of law enforcement by holding them to a higher standard of expectations. Most law enforcement officers show ethical behavior and professionalism, but there are some who do not. Society has an influence on how law enforcement officers make their ethical decisions. For example, the George Floyd case, it showed racial discrimination. For instance, “a bystander video recording of the incident showed that a white police officer pinned Floyd to the ground while he was handcuffed. The police officer’s knee pressed into the back of Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, even after Floyd lost consciousness” (ADL, 2020). “Chauvin caused the death of George Floyd by his culpable negligence, creating an unreasonable risk and taking a chance of causing death or great bodily harm to George Floyd” (Schmalleger, 2021). It is important that society has a say on ethical expectations within law enforcement because they will be impacted by the law enforcement’s behavior, the law enforcement would be

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 3 held accountable for their actions (in this scenario the mayor will get the DUI and not be able to get me in trouble for something he did), and society and the law enforcement will gain trust with one another. It is important for law enforcement to listen because it will give them a better understanding of the concerns of the community and make the necessary changes to better serve and protect their community. The relationship between society and the development of law is symbiotic. “A symbiotic relationship is one in which organisms, people, or things exist together in a way that benefits them all” (Collins, 2023). The laws are constantly changing and so does society. For instance, law serves to regulate society and society influences the development of law. Without the laws society would become haywire, and without changes to the law society would not be able to adapt to the changes. Society plays an important role in the development of law. For instance, society can vote, protest, and file petitions for unfair laws or laws that they believe violate their rights. Also, they help the lawmakers to make changes to the laws so that they reflect fairness. It is important for lawmakers to listen because they can figure out what is fair and ethical without violating individuals’ constitutional rights. The relationship between morality and ethics within the American law enforcement are similar and should go together since are both essential in criminal justice. “Ethics are codes set by the external environment, such as society and the profession, while morals are individual principles that act as the compass of right deeds” (Hess et al., 2015). In other words, morals are to determine right and wrong, while ethics is a set of rules or principles that guide behavior. Law enforcement officers should use their moral principles to accomplish their judgments while

7-3 Case Study Ethical Analysis 4 applying ethical values to deal with dilemmas. If an officer is unethical, it could make the agency look bad and lose the trust of the public. Society’s changing views has an impact on the ethical guidelines within the American law enforcement. Society’s views on behavior also have a significant impact on the duties of law enforcement. For instance, the increased awareness and intolerance of racial bias and police brutality have led to higher expectations for ethical conduct within the criminal justice system. According to Schwartz, “the rate of fatal police shootings among Black Americans was much higher than that for any other ethnicity, standing at 30 fatal shootings per million of the population as of June 2020’ (Schwartz, 2020). So, it is very important that the law enforcement stays informed with these changes so that they can adapt their practices accordingly, because society has lots of power when it comes to expressing their viewpoints. For instance, they could see something ‘wrong’ and go and tell some people including the media and the scenario can end up getting twisted to what did not even happen. Scenario In the scenario involving a police officer and the mayor, there are several ethical dilemmas the officer is facing. The ethical dilemma that is raised by the facts in this scenario is the police officer is faced with a decision to look the other way and falsify the accident report. He can falsify the report by stating that the accident was caused by a dog being in the road, resulting in the mayor swerving off the roadway and impacting the tree. For instance, the mayor tells him that he swerved to avoid a dog, lost control and hit the tree. “An ethical dilemma is a conflict between alternatives were choosing any of them will compromise some ethical principle and lead to an ethical violation” (Hegde, 2023). This dilemma is ethical because the mayor is trying to use his power to make the police officer falsify

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