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Why ethics and integrity is important in law enforcement
The importance of ethics in law enforcement
The importance of ethics in law enforcement
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For my research on how the contextual themes concepts can result in criminal justice malfeasance I selected the case of State v. Steele, 138 Ohio St.3d 1, 2013-Ohio-2470. This case involved police officer Julian Steele of the Cincinnati, Ohio police department and his indictment on ten counts of police misconduct, including abduction, intimidation, extortion, rape, and sexual battery. Officer Steele abused his legal power to interrogate, arrest and detain a witness by knowingly filing a materially false complaint in order to influence or intimidate a witness; and abducting her minor child from school with the intent of charging the minor child with a robbery felony ” (State v. Steele, 138 Ohio St.3d 1, 2013-Ohio-2470). Due to the nature of this case and its involvement of the minor children involved, the court documents refer to the subjects by initials only.
The JSO Code of Conduct ensures that all members maintain an unprejudiced stance without fear, favor, malice, or ill will. However, while the Code of Ethics is crucial for encouraging ethical behavior and professionalism, it is not always implemented in practice. Field research can be utilized to allow more interaction between law enforcement and the community to limit systematic biases. This essay will delve into the pros and cons of the significance of the JSO Code of Ethics. Agency's Ethical Code
The New York City Police Department located in New York, New York. The acronym that is associated with the police department is N.Y.P.D. The Code of Ethics the N.Y.P.D has laid out for upcoming and current police officers is easy to comprehend and to be never forgotten. The sole purpose of the city police department is to prioritize the meaning of life while enforcing the laws set forth for people to follow. That is their mission summed up.
The Australian police force is one of the most noticeable and influential agencies of social control within society. Because of this, the NSW Code of Practice signifies in attempting improving the liability of the NSW Police to the community it serves. The Code of Practice complements the NSW Police’s code of Conduct & Ethics by providing an ethical framework for police, by reinforcing the need for all officers to act with honesty and integrity. These codes are created upon members of the NSW Police acting in accordance to morals and values such as treating everyone with respect, courtesy and fairness and powers are applied correctly and sensibly. These ethics aim to improve the Police’s NSW Police Force Code of Practice as it requires officers to put good practice into place.
Working in the field of law enforcement and being ethically sound is important. It is important within our professional career that we are able to maintain a standard that doesn’t cross any ethical lines. Even in our academic we have to hold ourselves to an ethical standard, because we are trusted to do what is right. If we violate the academic integrity it put a mark on our ability to be trusted. Just as Dr. Steven Davis stated if someone is will to cheap to get ahead how can they be trusted
Situation: As a patrol officer, I am only doing my job when I stop a car for running a red light. Unfortunately, the driver of the car happens to be the mayor. I give her a ticket anyway, but the next morning I get a call into the captain’s office and told in no uncertain terms that I screwed up, for there is an informal policy extending “Courtesy” to city politicians. Several nights later, I observe the mayor’s car weaving erratically across lanes and speeding. What would you do?
In the discussion of moral objectivism and moral relativism, it is important to understand the difference, and the impact that a moral system has on the criminal justice community. The community exists to enforce the laws. Moral judgments are made with votes, and the decisions on how laws are crafted are made by elected officials. For this reason, it makes sense for the criminal justice community to separate themselves professionally from their own moral views. Moral Relativism is the view of morality, much like beauty, is relative to the person, culture, or organization.
Assignment #1 Review questions Chap. 1 p. 26: 1. A single standard of ethics cannot be applied to all criminal justice agencies. The world is too complex to legislate morality and ethics. The cultures that make up each part of the world are not the same.
Law enforcement relies heavily on police ethics and the judicious use of discretion. Police officers have a broad range of discretion in their roles, allowing them to make decisions in the field that can affect individuals and communities. This choice can also bring about ethical problems, where law enforcement personnel must decide between honoring their duty to uphold the law and doing what's best for the community. This paper will examine the topic of police ethics and discretion, contrasting and comparing each one, and analyzing how law enforcement organizations can better teach, train, and supervise officers' exercise of discretion.
Ethical decision-making process are influenced by both individual and environmental characteristics, as well as an interaction with the cognitive process (Cooper, 2012). For every public official whose loyalty is to himself, his organization, and the public, the ethical decision-making process is dynamic, it is not constant, it involves a process of recognizing the problem and moving through the course of action towards finding a possible solution. It is contingent upon several factors. There is no one-size-fits-all for every situation, but the course of action is determined by the individual and environmental factors involved and the ethical character the public official has built over time. Ethical Decision Making
There are three components that make up the criminal justice system – the police, courts, and correctional facilities – they all work together in order to protect individuals and their rights as a citizen of society to live without the fear of becoming the victim of a crime. Crime, simply put is when a person violates criminal law; the criminal justice system is society’s way of implementing social control. When all three components of the criminal justice work together, it functions almost perfectly. For a person to enter the criminal justice system, the process must begin with the law enforcement.
A career in policing requires an individual to meet a high standard for character and demonstrated behavior, in order to be developed into an effective officer. Succeeding in a police academy requires the candidate to display and apply integrity, a skill which must be developed before receiving admission. Integrity demonstrated through a police officer’s personal life, provides the foundation for a respected career. When presented with the opportunity to leverage a peace officer’s position for personal profit, an individual who has previously made selfless choices, is more reliable for operating within the law. Integrity as a term has the social implication of following ones beliefs, regardless of the opposition.
Ethics is described as the moral believes by which a person will conduct a specific activity. It is these moral believes between the client and legal professional that need to agree to decide the outcome of the case. This essay will handle with legal ethics regarding to being a fit and proper person, the clients needs, professional conduct, professional responsibility and the legal system in South Africa. Before being admitted as a legal professional a person needs to be regarded as being a fit and proper person to practice the noble and precise field of law. The requirement of being fit and proper is seen as one of the most important characteristics of the legal profession but is not to be found in legislation nor is it defined.
‘’Most officers enter law enforcement with minimal experience in the field or in handling the moral dilemmas that officers typically encounter. They learn how to perform their jobs, as well as recognize the organizational norms, values, and culture, from their peers and supervisors. While supervisors provide direct, formal reinforcement, officers’ peers offer friendship and informal rewards that, in many cases, hold greater influence than official recognition from the agency’’ (Fitch, 2011). Officers who come across situations where they are unsure what is morally and ethically best to do often turn to their peers for assurance and guidance. Good ethical behavior can easily be influenced by officers and those in law enforcement.
As children, we were taught by our parents that it is wrong to lie, cheat, and steal. As we grow up and enter into the real world with some knowledge of right and wrong, we see, first hand, the importance of ethics as well as its complexity. The role of ethics in our society and in an individual’s life is very necessary because it has a large influence on today, as well as the future. We need to learn about good ethics because they guide our decisions, make us who we are, and determine our future.
