When it comes to police officer disciplinary actions, the lines becomes thin and more difficult to read between. It is not such a black and white situation and when it comes to properly disciplining a police officer it can become difficult to do so especially when that officer has either been on the force a long time so there is an established relationship, or the inappropriate act they committed happened just once and they claim it will never happen again. These types of things make it much harder to decide what the right discipline may be for that officer.
As the Chief of Police, the Deputy Chief of Police advises me that one of my officers is being investigated for inappropriate behavior. This police officer is under investigation for watching pornographic websites on the company computers. When he is confronted with the allegation, the officer denies this allegation but upon further investigation the computer crimes analyst proves that it was this officer that was using the computer to access these websites. When confronted with this information, the officer then admits to the wrongdoing but claims he will never do it again. This officer has only been in trouble once before over ten years ago for a traffic violation and is otherwise a good officer. As the Chief of Police it is now my decision to choose whether this officer should be terminated of his duties or if he should face severe disciplinary actions.
It is a difficult decision to make as disciplinary actions are
Since their has been policing entities, it is understood by most that law enforcement officers have been performing a public service that is not easy to carry out. To assist law enforcement officers in diffusing situations, apprehending alleged criminals, and protecting themselves and others, officers are legally entitled to use appropriate means, including force. In discussing police misconduct, this report acknowledges not only the legal grant of such authority,
I believe I must stand behind the opinion of Mr. Coates. Especially now, in this era, we need to start holding police officers responsible for their actions. Police officers are supposed to bring comfort and a sense of safety to people in their respective communities.
Throughout history, there has been very few careers that require such a high degree of an ethical standard such as the one required for law enforcement. There is, however, a multitude of careers that require the dedication and heart such as required for a police member. Where this dedication and heart differs relies solely on the difference in the job. Officers are required to be aware of their surroundings nearly all the time as if something were to happen they would be required to navigate through the situation successfully. Somebody such as a CEO for a multimillion dollar company would not require this same quality due to the fact it is not part of their job description and the only individual that he/she needs to be worried about is themselves. However, in today’s society, and with media being an ever growing aspect, some police officers have decided on their own personal way to handle justice. So unfortunately, this small percentage of police contract a huge amount of negative eyes to the profession. This small number of individuals bring a negative view to the police department as a whole and for this cause an issue in the public’s eye. Regardless of what many individuals believe, many of the police officers decide on the ethical side of the job and are hardworking professionals who seek out to just serve the public. However, being an African American male myself the main issue I have and want to combat is the punishment officers should face if
Policemen not only have to follow a set of rules and legislation, but they also must behave in a decent manner while on duty as well as off duty. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, and police officers also make wrong decisions that could jeopardize the integrity of their police department. Often people do something that they know is wrong. However, they still do it because they feel no harm will come to them or they think nobody would ever find out. For instance, cheating on a test is wrong, but people do it because they think they can get away without the professor finding out.
In the past, police officers were considered to be peacekeepers. However, this has changed and they are now regarded as law enforcement officers. Most officers do their work diligently but their priority is on making quotas as well as arresting innocent people followed by maintaining peace. Police brutality remains to be the biggest challenge facing police agencies in America. Police work is a dangerous job, and police are more than likely to be put into situations when excessive force is needed. Sometimes police use excessive force for their own personal reasons, such as racism. The issue of police officers using excessive force may or may not be of great concern, but it should be looked into by both the police and the public. Police brutality should be addressed. Despite
Lack of training and policing standards are closely linked to the myriad problems bedeviling police work, especially in small departments (Brodeur, 2010). All over the country, police departments report cases of officers being caught in uncompromising and unprofessional situations, resulting in disciplinary actions such as redeployment, suspension or sacking. These cases of unprofessionalism have led to questions being asked about policing, occasioned by recurring series of questionable and controversial encounters with police officers (Brodeur, 2010). The consequence of such encounters is increasing public distrust in law enforcement agencies.
I always knew that I wanted to become a police officer, so I decided to interview a Police Captain. I interviewed Police Captain John Carpenter of Riverside Police Department. I found him through Riverside Police Department after looking around at the organizational chart I found online and looking at the titles that were on the chart. The Police Captain is one rank above a Lieutenant, but one below a Deputy Chief. A Police Captain is in charge of a certain precinct, and normally has his/her own division. Captain Carpenter is currently in charge of investigations, such as gangs, narcotics, vice, and intelligence units.
without consequences. This practice is corrupt and police officers who act in these ways should be reprimanded and potentially fired for these actions. Some officers go beyond the law in ways they should be incarcerated as well. America’s governmental practice of excluding these police officers is only promoting these behaviors, and a stop should be put to them. By implementing stricter consequences, officers would be more conscious in their actions but now, it affects them as well.
They were trained to serve and protect, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t mess up from time to time. Now, I am not sticking up for those who don’t deserve it, and I will admit that there are some Officers in the world that shouldn’t have a badge anymore. But when you look at the whole of Law Enforcement, people have to realise that not every single Officer is racist. Not every Officer has the same exact mindset, or opinions of things. We are all people, and every single person is different in their own ways. There are no reasons for you to judge a single Officer, because of the actions and words done by another Officer. If you were a waitress at a diner, and your fellow waitresses are very rude and disrespectful.. How would you feel, if every customer that came in, assumed that you were just as rude? Or what if you worked for the Department of Homeland Security, and people automatically assumed that you just wanted to make their day horrible? It isn’t great to be labeled, and thrown into a group of people when that’s not who you
A police officer’s responsibility is to ensure the safety of the citizens in whichever state or country they are in by patrolling around areas and arresting individuals who are a danger to society. While there are many police officers that lead by example in complying with their duties, there are also many police officers that don’t and fall out of line with the law. When a police officer falls out of line with the law, it could be for many reasons such as robbery, murder, etc. Resulting from a lack of training, incompetence, poor decision making, racism, and greed. In the case of Sergeant Hugh Barry, who pertained to the police force for eight years, was charged on May 31st, 2017, with the murder of a woman who is said to have had a mental illness. Sergeant Barry and other officers had responded to a 911 call of a woman whose name is Deborah Danner. According to Al Baker, “Four officers and two paramedics arrived around 6 p.m. and Sergeant Barry arrived minutes later. The encounter ended with Sergeant Barry firing twice, fatally wounding Ms. Danner, who was in her bedroom” (Baker 1). A woman who was said to be displaying erratic behavior in a hallway of the building she resided in and it wasn’t the first time the police have been called as a complaint towards her. Rather than follow police protocol and wait for an emergency service unit, Baker states that he had not, “Mayor Bill de Blasio and the police commissioner, James P. O’Neill, said Sergeant Barry had not followed police protocol for dealing with people with mental illness. Specifically, he did not use his stun gun to try to subdue Ms. Danner, and he did not wait for a specialized Emergency Service Unit to arrive. (Baker 1). As a result of this, Barry was charged with “second-degree murder, first- and second-degree manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide and was suspended without pay” (Baker 1). Had Sergeant Barry followed the protocol that he was taught upon joining the police force, the woman who he murdered might still be alive. That is why this case is important in highlighting one of many reasons police officers could fall out of line with the law, especially in this event that led to murder because of reasons such as poor decision making
The officer had no humanity whatsoever. No child should ever be disciplined as an adult in such a harsh way.
The use of excessive force by police officers is a topic that continues to make headlines and a study that needs to be done. Although much research has gone into this topic there still is no consensus on why the use of excessive force occurs. Some studies suggest lack of training and/or problems with organization policy/procedures. Law enforcement officers are authorized to use force when necessary, but when the level of force is excessive, however, the actions of the police come under scrutiny. The resulting effects can include; public outrage, scandal, negative reputation for not only the officer but the law enforcement community, and criminal considerations. Although there’s is no concrete definition of excessive force, police
No matter where law enforcement officers are they should maintain their professionalism. For instance, it does not make a good impression on the public if an officer is off duty and out with his buddies at a bar getting drunk and belligerent. If other patrons know he?s a police officer, it damages his reputation and public image as well as the department he works for. Police should also always be careful of what they say. You never know who could be listening. Perhaps a co-worker?s wife stopped in at the department store for something and another officer made crude comments that were over- heard by the wife. Not only is an incident like that downright rude and unprofessional, it could also be interpreted as harassment. Police officers must realize that they are expected by the community to maintain a level of integrity that others are not held to. This off-duty behavior could be misread as the officer being insincere about his job when on duty.
Police officers are held accountable for everything they do. The public is always watching. Police officers are members of the communities they work in. They are just paid to protect and serve their neighbors within that community.
Police officers are often viewed as oppressors and unjust by the community, when in reality they are just doing their jobs. The job of a police officer is to apprehend criminals and detect crime, and the maintenance of public order and to the extend and complication of this duty police officers often need to make split second decision that is not often view by the public as what we call “self-defense” which is a right we all have as human beings and stated in the Universal Declaration of