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 …show more content…
Hence, a police officer’s duty then is to do the right act as approved by moral standards. Therefore, deontological ethics are duty based. Non-consequentialist ethics are divided into two standpoints; act non-consequentialism and rule non-consequentialism.
Act non-consequentialism or intuitionism is described as the act of following one’s intuition in order to determine the morality in a particular situation. However, rule non-consequentialism explains that people should follow the rules that are the basis of morality where the consequences are given less importance. But there are criticisms for both standpoints.
The use of the teleological perspective for decision making has many strengths and weaknesses. This perspective is practical as it allows us to look at the situation and evaluate the action which would be most tender, the consequence of this action, and the motivation behind the action (Emily D, 2015). And the teleological perspective or approach takes into account the difficulties of the life of a police officer and attempts to base the decision of whatever will result in the consequence. Moreover, it always encourages the individual taking action, to consider both angles before the decision. However, many would feel uncomfortable with the lack of absolutes which are often a
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Laws are created by legislatures and the duty of police is to enforce the law impartially to maintain and to promote justice (Moore & Perez, 2012). Therefore, a police officer considers the legal rights and the impact on the lives of the citizen in a situation of arrest or using a lethal force against a citizen. Thus, the police officers cannot have power over citizen against the rule of law and rules are made solely to be followed regardless the consequence.
The core duty of police is to enforce the law and create order in the society. Rules and regulations made and written in the Maldives constitution are for the greater good of everyone including the police officers and the citizens. Hence the relevance of deontological perspective for Maldives Police Service is explained in the context of the rule of law. These rules and regulations are made considering the consequences of an act which provides the solutions for it. Ultimately, ethics is important not so that “we can understand” philosophically, but rather so we can “improve how we live” (Lafollette,
One interrogates the actions of the officer in the moment trying to discern their mind-state. We ask ourselves, ‘were they justified in shooting?’ But, in this time of heightened concern around the policing, a more essential question might be, ‘were we justified in sending them?” (Paragraph 1). By adding these questions, he uses ethos to make the reader question the ethics of police shootings and whether the use of police force in certain situations is even necessary.
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.
A modern law enforcement officer is taught to think critically and reflect on expected circumstances to possess some effective skills on leadership. Furthermore, law enforcement officers who has a strong problem solving skills and effective communication skills also develop community policing potentials. Improving a better understanding of leadership allows the public to respect the professionalism that a police officer upholds. Immanuel Kant’s ethical theories believe that an individual has the ability to make rational decision based on the action given to them (Kant 's Ethics, 2002). Immanuel Kant’s ethical theories are to illustrate the importance of duty and moral standards.
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.
Law enforcement officers and others in the system are expected to uphold the law and apply it free of personal moral beliefs. Moral relativism allows them to remove personal beliefs from the equation altogether, and judge based only on the law. In an ideal situation, the law will be administered as it is written, with moral judgments taking place at the legislative level, and not the enforcement level of
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).
Ethics and Morals Ethical leaders must possess strong ethical and moral values. People often confuse ethics with morals, and while they have different meanings many researchers agree that one cannot exist without the other. Ethics can be defined as a code of behavior in reference to a group, for example in the law enforcement police officers have the Code of Ethics, they can be viewed as principles, standards or a guideline of how police officers should behave and act. Groups can vary from law
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
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
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
In today’s world, many people tend to have a set of ethical principles which is one of the guidelines for them to follow on. The question is how he or she defines ethics? To answer, Ethics is best defined as knowing what is right or wrong in the action based on the moral principles. Moreover, it is also known as the branch of knowledge that deals with ethical issues. In relation, there are some ethical theories which deal with the ethical issues.
Everyday, people are faced with the task of making decisions. Most people decide when to wake up, what to eat, what to wear, who to interact with, and countless other choices. In a world surrounded by choices, people are confronted with easy-to-make and, conversely, challenging decisions. A decision can be influenced by one’s own experience, logic, and feelings. Making a decision is synonymous with a result; whatever choice one accepts, results in a particular outcome.
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.
LICEING THE 21ST CENTURY The police are the public and the public are the police - Robert peel When we talk about the criminal justice system the public at large plays a very important role right from the prevention to reporting to the investigation of the case. The criminal justice system cannot achieve its goal without the active participation of the general public. If we take a look at the ancient police setup in medivial and ancient india we come across that there were various provisions for the participation of the public working with the police. The word police, inspires confidence inspires a sense of truse, security, commitment, and public service.
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