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Ethics as a police officer
Ethical dilemma in the police service
Ethical dilemma in the police service
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Recommended: Ethics as a police officer
Police brutality has been occurring since the idea of a police officer was first brought up. Officers have found many holes through the law enforcement system. This brings upon many types of misconduct and excessive force. Unfortunately, police officers are not usually held accountable for their brutality. “The Incentive Program, or the method of police chiefs using promises of contraband going to sub-departments that lack the money in the budget, gives officers more incentive to not only plant evidence to make an entire estate contraband, but it also lets them rationalize lining their own pockets” (White).
Three Kansas City police score unit officer’s Jeffrey M. Bell, Dustin Sillings, and Darryl M. Forrest were charged with theft of federal government property, conspiracy against rights and deprivation of rights under color of the law. The Kansas City police officer were caught by FBI (Federal bureau of Investigation). The Kansas City police officers stole several items and cash in a house that had surveillance cameras during a staged sting operation. The type of situation always makes people wonder what would make these people want to do something like this? Why would the officers discarded their commitment to the city to protect and serve as they swore to do so?
The work that police officers do is very complex. There are different rules and codes that they are supposed to follow in order to accomplish their job at their organization. Police officers present different behaviors while patrolling and in other areas of policing that creates many confrontations with the society as well inside their departments with co-workers and other people above them. In police departments exits different codes that police officers follow that many times create that police misconduct and police brutality stay under the rug, without been penalized. In the movie Fort Apache the Bronx it portrayed how police corruption, misconduct and unethical behavior were part of their daily work just because they followed certain codes
Officer Gaines began to live a lifestyle that did not match his income as an LAPD officer. Officer Gaines was ethics within the police department began to change as he began to show up in “Versace shirts costing $1000 apiece” (Sullivan, 2001). On a normal officer’s salary, there would be no way that he/she could afford to spender in such luxuries without ethically and morally violating LAPD conduct procedures. Pollock explains that police officers, are mean to enforce the laws, but also carry a great deal of discretionary power (2014, p 3). The more that Officer Gaines is investigated, the more a sense of “double standard” (Pollock, 2014, p 4) he is ethically taking advantage by collecting and providing favors as he becomes more involved with Death Row Records and Suge
Police corruption is not something that is frequently talked about, and there are definitely very few films about the subject. One such film is Serpico, which is based off of the life of NYPD Officer Frank Serpico. The movie shows the issues of police corruption, and how the police subculture works to keep it covered. The police subculture is a very complicated and closed thing.
They believe that police officers are there in order to protect everyone and act in a way that would accurately represent these expectation. Power comes at a price, it comes with the responsibility to do the right thing. Not only are police officers held to this high standard, often times other public figures such as fireman, prison guards and paramedics. Renowned professor at Stanford, Zimbardo, said in relation to the topic of human corruption that it’s not “bad apples in a good barrel. [Society] puts good apples in a bad barrel.
Numerous videos and pictures floods the social media world like Facebook and Twitter everyday showing police officers abusing their power. This is not something new anymore and this is an ongoing problem that our Criminal Justice system in the United States has to focus on. The major scandal that happened in Los Angeles Men’s Central jail that involves 18 Los Angeles County Sheriff officers changed how the public looks at the police officers when they are inside of jail using their power and no one is looking. Integrity is one of the qualities that can be found in the police officers. If one officer have this quality it will prevent them doing abuse, misconduct or corruption.
Police corruption has been the largest ongoing problem in the United States criminal justice system. In the documentary, “The Seven Five” directed by Tiller Russell, he sheds light onto the story of former NYPD officer Michael Dowd and how he and his prescient were involved in committing numerous crimes, including running their own cocaine ring while on the job in the 1980’s, early 90’s. Per the Criminal Law- Lawyer Source, police corruption is defined as “the abuse of police authority for personal gain or to gain advantage for the police organization. Police corruption can take the form of a variety of criminal activities ranging from actual commission of serious criminal (i.e. drug trafficking and money laundering) to the instances where
Finally, I would like to look at a podcast called Serial. The first season of Serial follows the murder of a high school senior Hae Min Lee in 1999. After searching for six weeks, her body is found buried in the local park. Her ex-boyfriend, Adnan, is arrested and charged with her murder. However, Sarah Koenig, host of Serial, believes there is something fishy about the case from the start.
In the 1900’s police corruption was a really important topic. Many police departments today try to give their officers as many benefits so corruption would not be an option. In the late 1900’s the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) had over fifty police officer responsible for many crimes. Many of these police officers were convicted of bank robbery, unprovoked shootings, unprovoked beatings and dealing with narcotics. The killing of an innocent man took place outside his apartment in the Soundview of The Bronx on February 4, 1999.
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
This article focuses on a study about how students view ethics and misconduct in today's society of policing. Back in 1829, an “establishment of the police department began with the vision of Sir Robert Peele, who came to be known as the father of community policing” (Davis, 2014, para 2). He held a high standard for wanting to recruit new people that would “exhibit honesty, integrity, and professional conduct” (Davis, 2014, para 2). In the beginning, corruption was present in unethical decision making, but as years progressed law enforcement has changed their ethical standards of recruitment. The cause of the corruption was due to a lack of effective administration and officer professionalism, which later caused an incurable disease for law enforcement” (Davis, 2014, para 2).
Officers abuse their power and most of the time get away with it which is not right, they are figures that the public trust to enforce the laws and keep them
Corruption is a type of misconduct and offense in which the police break their contract and oath by abusing their power for personal gain or even for departmental gain. Examples of types of police corruption a. Bribery- police officer receives bribes so that they cannot write tickets for people who have gone against the law for example, from prostitutes and gambling, bribery does not only affect the united states but its world spread, examples of other countries with highest percentage of bribery are Pakistan and France. b. Assault on suspects- police officers use excessive force on suspects leading to injuries and at times suspects end up dying in their custody. Some police officers have been charged with murder of suspects in their custody.
‘’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.