Three Perspectives of Loyalty
Reviewing the case study, Loyal to the Badge, found in the textbook, Business Ethics. April Leatherwood a police officer goes undercover for a year living on the streets and building a case that leads to the arrest of about three hundred people (Bprusseau, 2012). I will be looking at this case study from three different perspectives, to speculate on the ethical issues faced by officer Leatherwood. First, I will examine her obedience to the force and its protect-and-serve mission. Secondly, I will discuss the ethics involved from the point of view of Kant's Moral Philosophy, in particular the categorical imperative. Finally, I will consider Ethical Egoism as a driving force in the ethical choices made by April
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Living on the streets is difficult and dangerous, that is why so many who find themselves down and out help each other. I doubt if an inexperienced person would survive long in the often hostile environment of the streets without assistance of some sort. It seems that officer Leatherwood's duty towards others was temporarily disregarded when she befriended them with the intent of using them to make connections. What of the "two-bit drug sellers", mentioned in the case study, the friends of Summer Smith, the alias used by Leatherwood when undercover, doing what they must to survive. Assuming officer Leatherwood shared drugs with her contacts to gain their trust, does this not create an ethical dilemma when later having them arrested. Using Kant's Moral Philosophy as a guide, officer Leatherwood acted unethically towards those she shared her experience on the streets, despite the help they gave …show more content…
When viewed from the perspective of Cause Egoism officer Leatherwoods sacrifices seem to be a matter of serving her best interests. Her successful operation with its results must have been considered when deciding on her promotion to the desirable position of detective. Her actions benefited the fast tracking of her career on the police force, or did she merely align her career path with the needs of the