Ethics and integrity are the hallmark tenets for all professionals. More so, individuals in public service such as law enforcement officers need to display such principles in order to conduct their duties effectively and fairly. Law enforcement is a difficult occupation and it requires commitment by the officers. Ethics and lntegrity is critical in the profession because the officers set an example for the public. Diligent officers practice what they enforce. The law sets a high ethical code for officers because they are in constant public glare. An officer without ethics and integrity cannot inspire members of the public to follow the law. ln fact, unethical officers allow crime and other unlawful activities to thrive.
lmportance of Ethics and lntegrity in Law Enforcement The law entrusts officers with more responsibility in the society. For instance, the officers can draw their gun in public while in pursuit of criminals. The huge responsibility burdens require an accompanying set of values (Menzel, 2016). ln case of an incident, the officer has the benefit of the doubt because of the ethical grounding assumption. Criminal proceedings rely a lot on the statements issued by the law enforcement officers. The decision of the court is usually a conviction or an acquittal. An ethical officer with integrity helps the court to reach the right decision. ln case of a wrong arrest, an officer should plead with the court to release the individual. Additionally, the officers should present any exculpatory evidence on a suspect to the defense and the court. Ethics and integrity also provides opportunity for law enforcement officers to treat everyone equally.
The law does not envisage any form of bias. Therefore, an ethical grounding enables the officers to engage all members of the public without bias irrespective of their economic status and ethnic inclination.
Differences in Ethics, Morality and Law that affect Decision Making in Law Enforcement Ethics is a reflection of the decisions of individuals based on their principles, values and purpose. The values guide the sense of individuals on what is good and meaningful. On the other hand, morality is personal principles that distinguish what is wrong from right according to a certain perspective (Soltani, & Maupetit, 2015). Unlike ethics, morality is not an individual decision. Morality is a product of a particular perspective of life such as culture or religion. The law is a standard prescribed by governance structures on the conduct of the members of the public. Application of the law is uniform for all people under a certain jurisdiction. Nevertheless, some aspects of ethics, morality and the law overlap. For instance, stealing is immoral, unethical and unlawful. The decisions by an officer in duty mainly reflect on the law. For instance, law enforcement officers’ arrest and charge individuals found breaking the law (Soltani, & Maupetit, 2015).
However, their individual conducts gravitates on all the three aspects. An officer should refuse to take a bribe because it is unethical, immoral and unlawful. An officer cannot charge an individual for acting contrary to his or her personal morals. The law obligates the officers to allow individuals to express their morality in any way that they wish to as long as it is legal. ln law enforcement, ethical behavior is critical. Certain tenets of conduct rely on ethical behavior (Menzel, 2015). For instance, it is ethical for a police officer to identify him or herself first before apprehending an individual. Ethics outlines some procedural matters that determine the lawfulness of an action by an officer. Ethics in law enforcement cover imperative aspects such as objectivity, conflict of interest and respect for authority.
How Law Enforcement Officers Use Ethics, Morality and Code of Conduct Professionally First, law enforcement officers use ethics to govern their interactions with each other and the society. Ethics is the link between the code of conduct and the personal integrity of the individual. An ethical conduct is a justification of professionalism to the self and on most occasions, it happens away from the glare of the public. For instance, in an investigation on the conduct of a friend or a relative an ethical police officer should volunteer to step aside due to conflict of interest. Morality also guides the professional conduct of the officers. Morality is more about the character of an individual. lt is something that a person stands for with conviction (Soltani, & Maupetit, 2015). For instance, an officer who believes that there are better ways of solving conflict other than violence can transfer such morals to the profession.
Such an officer is likely to have a firm control on the use of a firearm. lt is important to prioritize the assessment of morals that conflict the professional conduct in the recruitment phase. The code of conduct is an outlined standard of behavior prescribed by the law enforcement departments. Diligent officers model their service to the citizens based on the code of conduct. ln internal law enforcement disciplinary proceedings, the code of conduct is the main point of reference. The code of conduct takes precedence over ethics and morality in the determination of the aptness of an officer.
Aspects of Code of Conduct that Relate to Law Enforcement Many aspects of the code of conduct relate to law enforcement. First, the code prescribes the way a professional should interact with customers or clients. ln the case of law enforcement, clients are members of the public who need certain services from the officers (Menzel, 2015). The professionals should act courteously towards the clients. The law enforcement officers should provide assistance and guidance to the best of their ability. Even during arrests, the police officers should handle suspects in a dignified manner. The code of conduct also requires professionals to respect their superiors. ln law enforcement, the rank structure is critical. The senior ranked officers pass operational instructions from the top to junior officers (Menzel, 2015). Therefore, the efficiency of the service is dependent on the execution of the instructions. Junior officers should act on the order passed on to them by their seniors.
Law enforcement officers act in coordination to enhance their service. ln such a system, the level of interdependence is high. To that extent, the synchronization by the high-ranking officers is critical. The code of conduct also outlines imperative elements on interacting with members of the public such as respecting their privacy. An officer should not disclose the identity of a member of the public who has provided crucial information confidentially. Additionally, a police officer should not disclose private information of members of the public to unauthorized parties. Police officers should exercise their mandate within the confines of the law. The code of conduct keeps the law enforcement officers focused on what is right. Professionalism balances ethics and morals. An occasional revision of the code of conduct is imperative to maintain its relevance with a developing society.
Black American Catholics on the Path to Sainthood
Liturgical Leaders Black American Catholics on the Path to Sainthood There are several Black American Catholics who are in the early stages on the path to sainthood. We spoke briefly about some of these men and women in class, and some of you did a similar assignment last year in Liturgical Planning. This assignment is […]
