Becoming A Law Enforcement Officer

* The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is felt to achieve bringing about self-respect among officers; contributing to feelings of mutual respect among police, and contributing to the professional image of law enforcement.

All law enforcement officers are sworn to the “Law Enforcement Code of Ethics” that was established in October 1957 by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which states “that the officers’ 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” (IACP 2010). The ethics code generally exists separately from more formal department rules and is sometimes incorporated in the department’s mission statement. Additionally, the code of ethics can be thought of as a moral compass that helps

If you currently are or will be considering becoming a law enforcement officer you will hopefully find the following information useful. I will be conveying to you not only the importance of professional appearance and means you can use to be more efficient at presenting such an appearance. While representing a state, city or county a less than professional image as an officer is not acceptable. As a public servant an officer’s appearance is the public’s first impression of who you are and what you represent or stand for. Not caring about your own appearance as a professional may lead some to assume you do not care about your job. We will discuss the reasons an officer should take extra pride in their appearance as well as steps to take that will assist in achieving a more professional appearance. Hopefully you will consider the advice given to you and make yourself a more professional looking officer or officer to be.

Ethics in the criminal justice system is of great importance. Unlike other professions the individuals working within the criminal justice field have to work with individuals who violate laws and social values. This paper will focus on normative ethics, which basically means what individuals ought to do in a given situation. Out of all of the professions within the criminal justice system ethical behavior within the police force is arguably the most important.

Louis Police Department also mirrors the ethics set forth in the text in that it demands that officers have a high level of integrity (Values: Our Mission Statement and Code of Ethics, 2012). Public trust is an important cornerstone of establishing ethics within the criminal justice system. This is because in the criminal justice system, officials are charged with maintaining the civil rights of individuals and also ensuring that their rights are upheld by the system. Therefore, any officer should practice integrity, so that they are not vulnerable to corruption nor are they easily swayed to make a decision in favor of one party or another. Essentially, the police officers should hold themselves to a higher moral standard and ensure that the actions that they are conducting are actions that are moral and in the pursuit of justice.

Training of criminal justice professionals in the principles of ethics and putting these practices into work is a very challenging process. The challenge comes in where it appears too non-practical to be put into practice in the real world. However, the important point to begin in this training is to develop a program that shows the importance of ethics to an individual in an organization and in this case, the criminal justice profession. I feel that it is important for ethics training in this field because of variety of beneficial reasons (Prenzler, 2009). To begin with police officers, most agencies in law enforcement and correction centers spend huge amounts of money in funding officers in defensive tactics and use of force by using weapons for their survival in their line of duty.

The role of ethics is vital to an officer, who must react rapidly to criminal activity, make life and death choices and obtain legitimate evidence. For instance, without the legitimate and ethical administration of Miranda Rights, notifying an offender of his entitlement to an attorney and telling him that anything he says can be utilized against him; wouldn’t exist. ("Miranda Rights", 2016) Detective Watson has been employed with the New York Police Department for 10 years, he plans to apply for the FBI next year. Detective Watson believes that your ethics and character are an immediate reflection upon the way you apply or handle yourself in various circumstances; whether it’s a summons, arrest, or interaction with civilians. Addtitonally, he

I am currently attending T.E.C.O Criminal Justice Academy of Osceola where I am going to be shaped and molded into the law enforcement officer that I know I can be. I plan to take the necessary steps into my career, where I will be properly be trained and disciplined for this field of work. Motivated, dedicated, and hardworking are just a few words to describe my outlook on life. Therefore, my goal is to grow and learn all aspects of becoming a deputy sheriff while working Osceola County Sheriff's office, to ensure that my heart is set on protecting and creating a safe environment for my community. I plan to work alongside a team of strong willed and equal minded individuals and setting long-term goals with this agency while I continue to train

The law enforcement code of ethics is composed of three important parts. First, law enforcement officers swear an oath promising to apply the law regardless of the race, gender, economic class, or identity of the lawbreaker. Secondly, police officers must swear to follow the law themselves. Thirdly, law enforcement officers must understand that they are to set an example of high moral standards, typically past that of the citizens they serve and protect. Since, police officers are technically never off duty this high standard does not stop when their shift is over.

Ethics training is not at the forefront of most law enforcement academy curricula. Ethics is sometimes a low-priority, tiresome subject. Little effort can be devoted to ethics as it competes for classroom time with more glamorous and direct-liability subjects such as firearms, non-lethal weapons, defensive tactics, laws of arrest, search and seizure, pursuit driving, etc.(Dr. Frank Kardasz) (1) (Law Enforcement Ethics Training: Practices and Trends)

Any misconduct by a law enforcement officer does damage to the reputation of the law enforcement profession. The saying comes to mind “one bad apple, ruins the whole bunch.” Though that statement is untrue, it is the collateral damage caused by an officers actions, filtering over onto all in the law enforcement profession. For instance, a cop who is unethical and keeps money and or drugs instead of turning them in to the evidence technician. If that officer were to get caught, the media would have a field day. The public would say all cops are dirty. You hit the nail on the head, stating it can harm the entire LEO community.

I’m interested in the law enforcement career path, and there are a lot of different paths you could take in this career choice. This career got my attention mainly because, I find solving mysteries and crimes very intriguing. The origin of this occupation came in during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, coming into America from England. “Generally speaking, the constable became responsible for law enforcement in the towns, while the sheriff took responsibility for the counties” (Stinchcomb 3). The educational requirements for this occupation at a minimum are as high school diploma or GED. Our high school provides us with a forensics class you can take your senior year, and we have an athletics department that you could join anytime

Ethics is defined as a division of philosophy that deals with morals. This is what a person believes is right or wrong, it separate the good and evil of human actions, and distinguishes between the honest and dishonest characteristics of people. Ethics play three major roles within the criminal justice system.(1) A misconception that many people have is that their behavior to law enforcement agents doesn’t have anything to do with the ethical balance. It is important for people to be willing to share information and to be part of the system. This means for people within the community to come forward with information they may have on crimes or criminal activity and also participating in jury duty. (2)When it comes to police officers, they have

When entering into a career of law enforcement professionalism is required. While there is seven key components of professionalism we are going to focus on the code of ethics.

The problem in Law Enforcement Agencies is the brother and sisterhood aspect of the department, for in order to survive as an officer, they need to support each other inside and outside of the department. When there is a person doing some sort of unethical or questionable action and recognized by a member of the department, there is two paths they can take: they ignore the act or take action. The government has legislation to protect those who fall under the “Whistleblower” title, but unfortunately, the dilemma of whether or not to report questionable or unethical behavior is an extreme one. Many people who are faced with reporting or ignoring what they saw often have their jobs, social, and personal lives to consider, as well as future opportunities. The lack of reporting and creating ignorance of something that should be brought up is what is creating a bad reputation for law enforcement professionals. Law enforcement officers do complain about the negativity of their jobs, yet there are times, where they are part of the problems; the ignorance of unethical decisions leads to foreseeable consequences.