The Code Of Ethics And The Police Department

The criminal justice system is one of the most important components in the public service system. Since it is a system that citizens encounter daily it would be most beneficial for those who are employed to behave as ethical leaders. Leadership skills and ethical behavior are both parts of the duties of any officer serving the law. Often employees are placed in quick decision situations that can have fatal outcomes if not handled properly. By ensuring that all officers of the law have a set of functioning ethical leadership skills can not only develop a well-rounded individual, but also builds the relationship between the community they serve to protect. The police and other officers of the law have great discretion and power over an individual which makes having responsible, ethically behaving persons on the front lines even more important. With the right training and education, ethical officers can set the bar and improve the quality of life of the community they serve as well as other officers.

Are police ever justified in committing illegal acts that violate others rights are they ever justified especially when there is no personal gain but for reasons that may seem to be about a higher purpose. This is the argument for noble cause corruption. This idea brings it to the end justifies the means thinking. If we start down this line where can it lead us? The idea that we can justify any action that would violate civil rights and other laws because we feel that our cause is noble and it is not being done for personal gain but the good of others can lead us into some dark places. The noble cause thinking is

The following paper is to discuss the statement by Brien (1999, p9)” the Rule of Law is one of the necessary elements of any decent, society civilized society. More specifically, it is an ideal and aiming to practice it is a necessary element in any liberal, democratic community”. The ethical policies and practices of the New South Wales Police Force (N.S.W.P.F), including the Oath of Office, Missions and functions, Statement of values and Code of Conduct and Ethics will be discussed in relation to the “Rule of Law”. Two real examples will also be discussed to demonstrate the ethical dilemmas that exist in the N.S.W.P.F.

On January 15, 2016, a Gainesville, Florida police officer named Bobby White responded to a report of kids playing loudly in the streets. (Earl, 2016) Upon arrival, the officer parked his patrol car and notice a tall boy playing basketball, he asked the boy “Can you believe someone's calling to complain about kids playing basketball in the street?” (Earl, 2016) The boy didn’t respond, and instead Officer White smiled and stated that he had no issue with these children playing in the street, he then procced to playing basketball with the kids. (Earl, 2016) A Gainesville Police Department spokesman named Ben Tobias told CBS News, that these kids were out exercising not sitting inside playing video games and that at times society forgets that

Police Ethics when policing minorities and use of force is a hot button topic socially today. With the recent climb of deaths caused by Police or while in police custody the questionability of ethics in minority has risen among all and not just with the minority groups. There are many current cases where the use of force that police officers chose is queried on excessive force. Recently there are several cases that bring investigation into the ethics of the officers who are involved in using deadly force. In a heartbeat the decision must be made of when and how much force is needed for the situation. Excessive use of force by some police officers, violating one human rights include unjustified shootings, fatal choking, tough beatings and rough treatment, continue because low levels of personal accountability continue to make it possible for officers to escape punishment and allow for repeated offenses. The ethics of officers involved of a case when force is used should be thoroughly investigated and questioned by the proper authorities as well as all involved.

The Criminal Justice System is just like every other agency or corporation ever. Police integrity and ethics are fundamental to effective policing and helps with building trust within communities. Sound conduct by police improves the community interactions, enhances communication, and promotes shared responsibility for addressing crime and disorder. (USDOJ, 2014) Restoring ethics starts from the beginning, and that is too look harder into the employees or officers that you are going to hire. The thing is that it is much harder than it sounds. People can change or lie on their interviews. So you will never be able to fully prevent every person who might break ethical codes from entering into law enforcement. What you need to do first is let all new officers be aware of what they are getting themselves into.

Police officers 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 know something they do is wrong. However, they still do it because they feel no harm will come to them or it they think nobody will ever find out. For instance, cheating on a test is wrong, but people do it because they think they can 't get away without the professor finding out.

Police executives have always had different issues within the police department. Most police executives try to find a quick fix in order to solve the issue of police misconduct. Police misconduct is defined as inappropriate action taken by police officers in relation with their official duties (Police Misconduct Law & Legal Definition, n.d.). In order to solve this issue, one must acknowledge their different challenges, overcome the “code of silence”, and find out the role of organizational culture.

In this country we are seeing an increase in ethical violations in the field of law enforcement. I will go into detail about some of the main ethical issues we are seeing today and what can be done to prevent such acts from happening. When one officer is being unethical it has a huge effect on how the public views law enforcement as a whole. Many officers go undetected for a long time before getting caught, but an officer committing ethical violations will have their day it’s just a matter of time. In order to improve this growing problem we must first understand why there is such a problem in the field of law enforcement.

Law enforcement officers are bound by departmental rules and local, state, and federal laws. The Constitution itself plays a role in defining police ethics. (Hall, 2014) The law enforcement officers are expected to maintain high standards of conduct, cooperation, efficiency, and economy in their work, and shall attempt to correct any faults in their performance. An officer of the law is supposed to have strong ethical indicative of moral beliefs.

Police subculture undermines ethics and has a constant influence on officers’ decision-making process, which ultimately leads to misconduct. Police, like most professions, have a secretive yet unique type subculture because the lifestyles of its members are significantly different. Law enforcement officers tend to befriend other officers or people with similar roles within the criminal justice system. Many times, friendships extend to firefighters and other civil service personnel to include military members.

While conducting professional duties police officers are involved in many situations which bring up ethical dilemmas in the course of their careers. Each decision may have a profound impact on a number of people lives in and out of the community which they serve. As a result, police officers must have concrete moral and ethical beliefs in order to act quickly and correctly in situations which bring about ethical dilemmas. The power police officers hold allows them to make discretionary decisions, and these decisions must be made correctly in order to protect and serve.

Many police officers have been at a crime scene of an officer involved shooting and this can be a very stressful time with emotions running high. After the incident has calmed down, the involved officer starts to question the decisions he has made in reference to his actions. As I witness a fellow officer alter a crime scene to slant the evidence in his favor, the subsequent decision I make will involve an ethical dilemma. Do I support the decision of my fellow officer and not say a word about what I have witnessed or do I speak up and report misconduct of the other officer?

There are a plethora of ethical issues with the first story but few for the second story. Starting with the first story, the first ethical issue I found was the opposition many of the officers had towards the idea of community policing. As a police officer you take an oath to serve and protect citizens and serving takes on many forms not just crime fighting. Other ethical issues that I witness was prostitution, the home owners throw eggs at the john’s car, littering and leaving trash on the ground of the home owners, the police officers lack of response and only reacting once they were caught slacking on the job. To me the biggest issue was the neglect police officer showed towards the community trying to better its self. While the department stated they had more pressing matter to deal with it was evident they more than enough resources and time to correct the issue.

Peace officers shall perform their duties and apply the law impartially and without prejudice or discrimination.