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Dirty Harry Problem relative to Police Officer Roles and Functions

Good Essays

1) What are the implications of the "Dirty Harry Problem" relative to community expectations of police officer roles and functions? How does this issue relate the role of balancing individual and societal rights?

"When and to what extent does the morally good end warrant or justify an ethically, politically, or legally dangerous means for its achievement?" This is the question posed by Carl Klockars about the ever growing Dirty Harry problem in society. This has become a focus of mass media and even a source of profit. The name itself comes from a Hollywood movie staring Clint Eastwood. If you believe the movies then the answer is never, for as long as the bad guy gets what he deserves then the means didn’t matter. But at some point a …show more content…

Revenge or punishment does not fit these criteria, Klockars states that some officers may use these ideals of dirty means in order to punish the guilty (Klockars, 1980).
Klockars is correct when discussing, when only a dirty means will work. Departments must take some responsibility for the actions of the officers. In many cases perfectly legal actions may produce the same results as dirty ones do. This situation implies that the officers had no idea how to conduct proper investigations, or they don’t understand the consequences for their actions. This becomes a serious issue as the investigation flounders and the suspect will surely go free. Officers rely on instinct, gut feeling, experience, and training (Klockars, 1980).
Only a threat to immediate loss of life can grant the destruction of a person’s right to a fair legal treatment. Scorpio freely confessed to kidnapping and mutilating the girl. That should have been enough to convict him of those crimes. Klockars mentions that Harry Callahan stated he thought the girl was already dead, but he had no physical proof. Without the body there is no murder. Or is there? When Harry discovered Scorpios domicile was on the grounds of the football stadium he should have gotten a warrant and then searched it. Again the time constraints are involved because a girls life is in jeopardy. Now days telephonic warrants are available in some states to help overcome those time constraints. Although, in "Dirty Harry" the victim

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