Verified Document

Ethical Considerations In Police Work Research Paper

Lead by Example Field training officers do not merely instruct rookie officers in the technical protocols pertinent a job description: they also set the moral tone for the organization. When an officer acts unethically in front of a rookie, it places the rookie in an uncomfortable situation: he or she can go along with his or her commanding officer as he or she is supposed to -- and thus act unethically -- or he or she can be true to his or her convictions but then seem to be defying the dictates of the police force at an early, critical stage in his or her career. "The solidarity norm of police and corrections officer subculture constitutes fertile ground for officer wrongdoing" given the 'us vs. them' dynamic of officer culture (Jones & Carlson 2004: 99).

Interestingly, New York City was recently criticized for having over-zealous new officers staffing its 'stop and frisk' program: to curb their enthusiasm and to temper their enthusiasm (which has led to allegations of racial profiling and cavalier treatment of citizen's rights) the NYPD has created a new program "broadening the experience of new officers by putting them in precincts, radio cars and most importantly, creating a better ratio of seasoned veterans to rookies, will help continue their training beyond the academy" (Horan 2014). This is testimony to the NYPD belief in the need for existing officers to 'set the moral tone' for the organization.

Moral weakness-Moral courage

If an officer said something like "I'm not racing to that location there's...

Only if a new officer had another, more experienced officer to act as a mentor whom he could rely upon to 'back him up' could he have the confidence to challenge the older officer's assertions. Ultimately, evidence of conflicts such as these should not be regarded as a moral failing of young officers but an institutional problem. This is reflected in a recent pilot program instituted by in Oregon: "Portland police have been awarded a nearly $50,000 federal grant to study how to train officers about institutional racism, create a more inclusive environment, increase diversity on the force and find a way to evaluate the bureau's progress" (Bernstein 2014). Reporting racism cannot be the sole responsibility of individual officers, particularly new ones.
References

Bernstein, M. (2014). Portland police would train officers on institutional racism, under federal grant. Oregon Live. Retrieved from:

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2014/06/portland_police_would_train_of.html

Horan, K. (2014) Bratton says mentoring rookie cops will help community relationships

WNYC. Retrieved from:

http://www.wnyc.org/story/bratton-says-mentoring-rookie-cops-will-help-community-relationships/

Jones, J.R. & Carlson, D.P. (2004).…

Sources used in this document:
References

Bobb, M & Pearsall, A. (2010). The changing mission of police monitoring. U.S. Department of Justice. http://cops.usdoj.gov/html/dispatch/January_2010/print/police_monitoring_print.htm

Jones, J.R. & Carlson, D.P. (2004). Reputable conduct: Ethical issues in policing and corrections (2nd ed.). Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Standards and guidelines for internal affairs. (2014). U.S. Department of Justice.

Retrieved from: http://ric-doj.zai-inc.com/Publications/cops-p164-pub.pdf
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Ethical Considerations and Professional Responsibility
Words: 4201 Length: 12 Document Type: Term Paper

Cultural beliefs transmitted by media include such notions as police officers are heroes. In reality, the media works in strengthening and affirming the cultural notions present in a society. It holds true particularly for the messages about the ethics involved in the crime and justice incidents transmitted by the media. Many people do not experience crime firsthand or the system through which justice is brought. In this case, it is

Ethical Considerations when Problem Solving with Criminal Justice...
Words: 1172 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

Ethical ConsiderationsEthical Considerations when Problem-Solving with Criminal Justice Policies and ProgramsIn solving problems, police officers and other members of the criminal justice system are confronted with various ethical challenges. When on active duty, five of the most common issues that actors in the criminal justice system face are: i) deciding the appropriate level of force to use during arrests, ii) protection of the rights of civilians while upholding the law,

Police Ethics
Words: 3948 Length: 12 Document Type: Capstone Project

Police Ethics Ethics, therefore, is not something that a policeman learns in the classroom -- yet, training classes are regularly scheduled -- and this picture of student not understanding why he is in the classroom is indicative of the problem of police ethics as a whole (Crank, Caldero, 2011). There is no established, realistic connection between policing and classroom ethics. The world of the streets is a different from the world

Police Department Ethics Policies
Words: 2763 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Police Codes of Ethics Virtually all police departments have some kind of formal "Code of Ethics," or guidelines that tell the members of the police force what is and is not acceptable behavior. The people these officers are sworn to serve and protect expect ethical behavior from those officers, and in fact there are times when public or individual safety depends on the officers' determination to act in ethical and honest

Ethical Issues in Law Enforcement
Words: 2631 Length: 8 Document Type: Thesis

J. Simpson or John Gotti. In both cases, the defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence only in court; but there is no such "presumption" in the intellectual "court" of one's mind. A lawyer with integrity would refuse to represent any defendant he believed was probably guilty of horrendous crimes and simply let that defendant be represented by a court-appointed attorney who is obligated by law to represent any defendant

Police Officers and Police
Words: 2276 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Police Subculture The set of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviour followed by the members of law enforcement constitutes what is referred to as police subculture. Owing to the nature of their job, most police officers tend to view members of the general public as potential suspects, untrustworthy and even potentially hostile. Police officers expect support from their colleagues. Consequently, the "us versus them" scenario is created; where "us" refers to the police

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now