Police ethics training is a vital aspect needed to comprise a successful and principled police department. The required reading for a police ethics training course must be compelling and relatable for police officers to identify with the material and grasp its importance. Therefore, I would require police officers to read Brotherhood of Corruption, Walking with the Devil, chapter one: Introduction to the New Police Accountability in the book The New World of Police Accountability, and chapter three: Police Ethics: Use of Force, Investigations, Interrogations, and Lying in the Criminal Justice Ethics textbook by Cyndi Banks. All four of these readings cover a variety of topics that are essential for police officers to be knowledgeable of. The
From early studies of police departments and law enforcement agencies, their culture is described as authoritarian, cynical, distrustful, elitist, homogeneous, macho, misogynist, monolithic, pessimistic, suspicious, insular, socially isolated and highly resistant to change. Relationships between police officers and the communities they are sworn to protect and serve is often times tense and difficult to maneuver. Police departments can implement an effective mechanism for change as "fish rot from the head first. "
Hypotheses In light of a recent police officer involved shooting in Chicago, a Chicago police officer (white officer), was charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of a black teenager. There has been numerous police involved shootings in the U.S. in this past year, and the Chicago incident is not the first or last. Race baiting has become a hot topic and has gone viral around the nation. It is evident that the practice of the use of force is widely talked about in social media, and law enforcement leaders are aware that they must educate and train their officers regarding such usage.
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
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.
Relationships between police officers and the general public have been a roller coaster ride over the past 30 years, when it comes to the way some officers act when put in bad situations, or even if they are just acting out of anger. Melvin Russell explains in his speech that police officers need to do a better job of working with the public and treating them as if they are a customer. Russell has been a police officer himself for nearly 40 years, and is the Chief of the Community Partnership Division of the Baltimore Police Department. The TedTalk, “I Love Being a Police Officer, but We Need Reform,” by Melvin Russell was very persuasive and proposed a strong argument by using pathos and having an engaging voice, being credible in his words,
Police organizations have been evolving over the years, but still there are so many things that have to be address in order to create a better law enforcement institutions. Police misconduct and police brutality have been the center of many confrontations between police officer and society. It is imperative that police organizations change the police subculture that exist among them that protects any wrongdoing from being disclose in order to promote a more efficient service to society. In the process of doing this assignment I learned how cohesive is the relationship between officers that most of the times protect them when they are acting in a misbehave way. It is really impressive to see how one officer was seen as a traitor in the organization because he decided to report police brutality.
For that reason, I believe that one way to improve police relations in local communities would be by having the police more socially active in communities, as opposed to only interacting when problems arise. This would put a face behind the actions of the police and improve their relationships with the people they
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
I was already in law-enforcement as a Baltimore City Police Officer, so I decided to get a degree in criminal justice to help my career as an officer. Furthermore, I became a part-time criminal justice professor in the year 1999, then made full-time 5 years ago; and later became the criminal justice department chair. In addition, my strength is that I can relate to students with the same measure try to get the best out of them. Nonetheless, my weakness at first was coming from a policing job with a uniform into joining civilians as a professor. Also, trying to get things done in the cultural educational environment.
Many young people aspire to become police officers. However, not everyone is fit for the role as police work is extremely demanding both physically and mentally. In order to be effective in the job, a policeman should possess superb communication skills, extra-ordinary courage, excellent judgement, empathy, and a high degree of professionalism, to name a few. Choosing this career in law enforcement can be a quite challenging yet rewarding. If you aspire to join the police force, then you are bound to make a difference in your community as well as your own personal life.
It is easy to learn about a subject from a book, but it is an entirely different matter to learn about a subject through real life experience. I hope to learn how to serve and protect while implementing the law correctly, especially in today’s world when the level of support for police officers is very low and the level of misconduct cases concerning the police are very high. It is not easy to know what to do in every situation, especially when some reactions are needed with very little or no time to think about. It is one thing to hear about a crime happening and the response that would be best to give, and another thing to need
‘’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.
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
One of the challenges includes job responsibilities and expectations. The law enforcement community and officers may have varying responsibilities when it comes to their jobs, missions as well as professional cultures with varying expectations in regards to the definition of bullying, what constitutes suitable response4s to bullying and the ways it can be prevented. Law enforcement officers and school personnel’s more often operate according to various rules. For instance, school officials have a set of school rules and codes to enforce while law enforcement officers must at all times uphold the law. Another challenge is negative perception.
