preview

Case Analysis: Sherriff Of Saluda County

Decent Essays

Ethics are defined as rules of behavior based on ideas about what is morally good and bad. Ethics is also an area of study that involves ideas about what is good and bad behavior and what is morally right or wrong. Ethics can vary from person to person. Ethics deals with making moral judgments about what is right or wrong, good or bad. Right and wrong are qualities or moral judgments we give to actions and conduct. Ethics provides us with a way to make moral choices when we are uncertain about what to do in a situation involving moral issues. In everyday life we make moral choices and judgements.
Ethical issues have existed in relation to government and policing for hundreds of years. The standard code of ethics that law enforcement personnel …show more content…

Some people in Saluda County heard about the investigation a few months prior. Booth had been sheriff in Saluda County since 2000. Booth began his career in law enforcement with the Colleton County Sheriff's Office in 1996 and served with the Lexington County Sheriff's office from 1997 until 1999. At the age of 27, he was one of the youngest men ever elected sheriff in the state. He has won numerous awards from the governor’s office. Jason Booth's father served as sheriff in Saluda County in the 1980's. This case was investigated by the State Law Enforcement Division under the supervision of Chief Mark Keel and Second Circuit Solicitor J. Strom Thurmond. The prosecution was directed to Solicitor Thurmond's office at the request of South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson. Booth was facing up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 …show more content…

Leaders such as Booth in this situation should have been playing an important role by setting the example of high moral conduct that should be passed on to his subordinate employees. Instead in this case Booth was the individual that was breaking the law. In my opinion training should be conducted consistently on policies and the enforcement of those policies. Ethical behavior should start from the top and work its way down to the newest member of a department. Leaders such as Jason Booth needed to practice instilling the highest moral behavior in his deputies to create the most ethical leaders for today and tomorrow. Booth betrayed a lot of individuals by his actions. After meeting him personally a couple of times, he appeared to be an individual that had allowed the power of being the Sheriff of Saluda County make him think that he was above the laws of The State of South Carolina and The United States of America. When law enforcement personnel begin to feel that they deserve special compensation for their regular duties, it is time for them to find a new line of work. Unethical behavior arises when officers’ demands for compensation overrides their public

Get Access