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Ethical Issues In Law Enforcement Essay

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Law Enforcement today faces many challenges with a key one being trust. A portion of society has grown to distrust law enforcement due to their actions. This starts out with the actions of a few bad apples and then moves to the handling of incidents by police administrations. “Consequentialist theories include both philosophical egoism and utilitarianism. In both cases, the emphasis is put on the consequences of given actions”, (Dion, 2012). The theory focuses on the formal leaders as well as the informal leaders within the agency.
Society looks for and deserves openness and transparency in law enforcement agencies today. Ethics in law enforcement today are in question. Those ethical issues facing law enforcement today consist of racial discrimination, financial corruption, gender discrimination, use of force and appropriate use of technology. “Making decisions ethically involves the process as well as the result. Almost every decision is made in the context of uncertainty about the facts and the consequences”, …show more content…

As discussed earlier, the hiring process is the first step in getting appropriate staff. Agencies must implement an assessment process that takes into consideration the temperament of the officer. This can lead to hiring officers of high moral character and integrity and not just those that are smart and strong. These assessments can go a long way in insuring agencies hiring the best. The training component discussed earlier is important in this area. Officer have a wide range of tools at their disposal that can aid in making good choices when it comes to reasonable force. Teaching the officers how to use these tools in an appropriate manner is vital to minimizing occurrences of inappropriate use of force claims. As stated in earlier, leadership must implement proper oversight and consistency with disciplining staff for inappropriate use of

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With the rising intensity of violence around the world, police officers manners have gradually increased more aggressively towards the general public. Their position is bringing up to debate whether it is ethical or not to have such manner of conduct from those who sworn to serve in our interests and protect us against perpetrators. We understand that their jobs come with lots of ups and downs, which are not an easy task, it requires much dedication and draws in a significant amount of stress. At the same time, there is no excuse for any member of the law enforcement to show signs of unethical behavior when on or off duty. It not only sets a bad example for the people from the community but also encourages them to lose trust and devotion for

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It goes on to stress how training is an important aspect of preparing officers to handle situations in an ethical manner as they had been taught in the academy. Additionally, supervision is a vital element because “sergeants are responsible for directly monitoring their officers…monitoring their actions, and directly interviewing when necessary or appropriate” (Walker & Archbold 19). This point helps reinforce the idea that officers need to be monitored and that sergeants are responsible for promoting ethical behavior from their officers. The last element of the framework, review, “consists of a variety of policies and practices that seek to learn from particular incidents and/or patterns of incidents” (Walker & Archbold 20). Review is crucial because it allows incidents to be examined and this allows incidents of misconduct to be scrutinized.

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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.

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‘’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.

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