Ethical Codes of a Police Department
In police departments across the country, upholding a high standard of ethical conduct is always a priority in everything that a police officer does on a regular basis. In order to uphold the high standards of ethical conduct, many police officers are often bound to act and abide by the ethical responsibilities and procedures set forth in their departments honor code. When it comes to creating an honor code, police departments will normally abide by a similar code used by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Even though, a city police department 's honor code may be a different level from the code used by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, there are many similarities and differences between the two entities.
Milwaukee Police Honor Code
The Milwaukee County Police Department honor code has nine parts that correlate to each part of a police officer’s duties and responsibilities. The five parts of the honor code are Primary Responsibilities, Performance of Duties, Discretion, Use of Force, Confidentiality, Integrity, Corporation, Personal-Professional Capabilities, and Private Life (“Law Enforcement Code of Conduct”, n.d.). While on duty, each police officer will usually be required to regularly abide by the standards that are set forth in each of these five parts of the honor code.
Primary Responsibilities
The first part of the Milwaukee County Police Department 's honor code states that police officers will
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.
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
Ethics and the Evolution of Police Policing in this present day is defined as an individual or group of individual who prevent and detect crime within a community. Policing compares in many ways. They all attempt to provide services, keep the peace and reduce crime. Policing has evolved into something much more than what it used to be. Within this essay are the many different perspectives and how ethics were learned.
Yet, at their core, the ethos remains: to protect and to serve. Ensconced atop this hierarchy sat the Chief of Police, a figure of immense responsibility and respect. Their selection often involved a complex interplay of merit and political acumen, navigating the delicate balance between political appointees and civil service veterans. The Chief's role was pivotal, setting the department's tone and ethos, guiding its officers, and serving as a bridge between the law enforcement machinery and the community it
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.
Throughout the series we see countless examples of how Walt’s ethics are tested. Over the course of the series we see this meek scientist evolve into Heisenberg this meth king who is responsible for hundreds of deaths. The entire second season is dedicated to the crash of Wayfarer 515, a crash that Walt is ethically responsible. Walt is being blackmailed by Jessie and Jane to handover Jessie money, Walt wants to wait until Jessie is clean to give it to him, but Jane convinces Jessie to stand up to Walt to get the cash. This is fulfilling Jessie and Jane’s “will to power”, because they are doing what they must to over come the situation they are in and take back control.
A law enforcement organization is an agency with an ethical system which must display their allegiance and integrity to the public. And the ethical system in policing context refers to the moral values that are generally accepted as professional standards in policing. According to the Encarta electronic dictionary, ethics can be explained as the study of proper standards and how they affect a system of moral values governing the suitable conduct for a person or group. To further understand the concept of ethics, ethics can be divided into two perspectives or theories, commonly known as deontological (non-consequentialism) and teleological (consequentialism). These two perspectives are important for a police officer to carry out their duties
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?
However, both concepts might play a role in either situation. Some individuals question whether or not “ethics” should play a big part in law enforcement. Ethics should play a part in professional standards of conduct because it sets a standard for how individuals should behave. It is very important for police officers and any other individual in the law enforcement field to properly abide by ethical standards.
Definition and Description of Procedural Justice Procedural justice is the act involved in decision making. It incorporates the process of involving transparency and fairness in making decisions. The incorporation of justice in this process is equally essential it entails that all parties allowed to give their views before decision are made concerning a given matter. Some theories state that restorative and distributive justice might not be met but for as long as there is a fair and justice procedure, there is always the possibility of having outcomes that are equitable (Jason &Tyler, 2003).
While it can be interpreted as standing for ones beliefs, a police officer must uphold a high moral code in accordance to the society which is being served. The ethics to which police officers holds themselves, must include the character traits demonstrated in personal life, in addition to operating as public servants. If an officer is deemed untrustworthy at home, they cannot be trusted to work legally within the police department. Honesty within policing is just as important, where failing to admit a mistake can weaken a reputation and call previous cases into question. Although these traits can be trained into an individual, integrity must be developed personally before it can be applied
Police accountability is responsible to deliver crime control and maintain order, while treating individuals fairly and within the bounds of law. Police officers are expected to uphold laws, regarding due process, search and seizure, arrests, discrimination, as well as other laws relating to equal employment, and sexual harassment. Holding police accountable is important to build trust with the public's and for them to have faith in the system. There have been many complaints from the public against law enforcement, rather than relying on police departments. Integrity and accountability issues in policing is one of the reasons why the community feel unsafe and bias towards police officers because of the physical abuse of some police officers who are careless and abused of their power.
Many police agencies today have established a code of ethics, or codes of conduct, and it easy to find parallels between Peel’s principles and present policies and
When it comes to having and being able to maintain a strong moral code, front line patrol officers are the perfect example of what law enforcement requires. To ensure front line patrol officers maintain a strong moral code, they must be able to keep their integrity on and off duty. Officers should have this characteristic before they are hired and should be open for the police academy to repair and strengthen them. Law enforcement requires not only physical strength within the policing work field but also strength within one’s values and their ethical as well as moral beliefs. ‘’Values is the term given to those ideas, behaviors, and actions that are important to us.
Police officers should take integrity rests from time to time; this would test if the officer will make honest choices when faced by a situation. This tests would lead to opening of investigations and uprooting corrupt and dishonest officers. Internal affairs model- this would help reduce corruption by investigating the officers from the department and resolve it internally from the