Law Enforcement Ethics and Professionalism

Ethics and Professionalism in Law Enforcement

Importance of Ethics and Professionalism

• Seven justifications for attending this program:
  • Career Survival: Police agencies are becoming less tolerant of officer misbehavior and take steps to remove problem officers.
  • Career Development: As an officer progresses through the ranks, their span of contacts opens up.
  • Media Coverage: The news media watches officers' actions, and is quick to report missteps taken by a police officer.
  • Community Perception: The community perceives the department as only as effective as the community perceives it to be.
  • Intra-departmental Dissension: The majority of police officers tend to look down on those few who have chosen to fall to the temptation of corruption.
  • Officer Survival: Corrupt officers find their job more difficult due to lack of trust and may result in serious injury or loss of life.
  • Personal Integrity: Depending on the officer's involvement in corruption, there is usually a strong sense of guilt.

Defining Ethics

• Ethics is a code of values that guides choices and actions, determining the purpose and course of our lives.
• Ethics is not a written code, but it's about what we do.
• Ethics has also been described as a core set of beliefs or values, or standards.

Sources of Ethics

• The six sources of ethics are:
  • Justice
  • Law
  • Agency Policy
  • Professional Code of Ethics
  • Social Norms
  • Personal Values

Pillars of Character

• The six pillars of character are:
  • Trustworthiness
  • Respect
  • Responsibility
  • Justice and Fairness
  • Caring
  • Civic Virtue and Citizenship

Standards of Ethical Policing

• The five standards of ethical policing are:
  • Fair Access
  • Public Trust
  • Safety and Security
  • Teamwork
  • Objectivity

Bribery and Extortion

• Bribery: When police officers are offered something of value to influence their performance of a duty.
• Extortion: When the officer initiates the agreement, by requiring a person to give him/her something of value in return for some performance (or lack of performance) by the officer.

Corruption Classification

• According to Sherman, there are three classifications of corrupt departments:
  • Type I: "Rotten Apples & Rotten Pockets" - Individual officers who use their position for personal gain.
  • Type II: "Pervasive Unorganized Corruption" - The organization does not control individual corrupt officers.
  • Type III: "Pervasive Organized Corruption" - There are bad officers acting in an organized manner, and the police administration either actively participates or assists passively.

Gratuities and Sexual Harassment

• Gratuities: The arguments for and against accepting gratuities, including abuse of police authority, expression of appreciation, attempt to corrupt officers, goodwill, and social resource.
• Sexual Harassment: Two main forms - quid pro quo and hostile work environment.

Ethics in Decision-Making

• The three ethics check questions:
  • Is it legal?
  • Is it balanced?
  • How will I feel about myself?
• The three "ethical choice strategies":
  • The Bell - Do any "bells" or "warning buzzers" go off as I consider my alternatives?
  • The Book - Do any of my alternatives violate any laws, policies, rules, Commandments, etc.?
  • The Candle - How will my decision stand "the light of day" or the spotlight of publicity?
• The five "P's" of ethical power:
  • Purpose
  • Pride
  • Patience
  • Persistence
  • Perspective