Examples Of Unethical Behavior In Law Enforcement

The Justice system has shown a pattern of taking the side of law enforcement. As of today, police brutality, specifically excessive force still remains as one of the most serious human rights violations. From the severe beatings, to the unjustified shootings, and inexcusable aggressive rough treatment all contribute to police officer misconduct. Many officers need to be opened minded about the way they address victims, suspects, and criminals. Yes, they have the upper power, but in any situation everyone is a human being and should be treated as such; the majority of this unacceptable behavior goes unnoticed or unreported.

Police Brutality In today's society, it is not uncommon for police officer misconduct, including brutality, to gain everyone's attention. When one officer shoots and kills a suspect, that officer is investigated in order to ensure there was no intentions to harm anyone but to try and keep the peace. Intentional harm to citizens is considered police brutality and can escalate into something more serious such as riots and protests. The kind of misconduct that some police take when arresting a suspect cannot be taken lightly to prevent any sort of riots or protests such as those after Rodney King as 50 people were killed and hundreds more were injured (Katel).

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.

As defined by Bob Harrison in Noble Cause Corruption and the Police Ethic, “Noble Cause Corruption is the concept of officers acting illegally,not for personal gain, but to fulfill moral obligations, stands as a testimony to the difficulties encouraged by those entrusted with the public's safety”. It is “a mindset or sub-culture which fosters a belief that the end sjustify the means, law enforcement is engaged in a mission to make our streets and communities safe and if that requires suspending the constitution or violating laws ourselves in order to accomplish our mission then for the greater good of society,so be it” (Steve Rothlien). Officers as well as other law enforcement officials are faced with ehtical dilemmas nearly everyday and have

Law enforcement is ensuring an act of obedience to the law. Police officers often take advantage of enforcing the law and end up using violence when it 's not necessary. According to the Washington post ( 2015 ) every 28 hours an unarmed colored person is killed by a police officer. I think it is time for these and other victims who were treated unjustly by police officers to get justice. These deadly law enforcement incidents must come to an end.

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.

The Australian police force is one of the most noticeable and influential agencies of social control within society. Because of this, the NSW Code of Practice signifies in attempting improving the liability of the NSW Police to the community it serves. The Code of Practice complements the NSW Police’s code of Conduct & Ethics by providing an ethical framework for police, by reinforcing the need for all officers to act with honesty and integrity. These codes are created upon members of the NSW Police acting in accordance to morals and values such as treating everyone with respect, courtesy and fairness and powers are applied correctly and sensibly. These ethics aim to improve the Police’s NSW Police Force Code of Practice as it requires officers to put good practice into place.

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

However, both concepts might play a role in either situation. Some individuals question whether or not “ethics” should play a big part in law enforcement. Ethics should play a part in professional standards of conduct because it sets a standard for how individuals should behave. It is very important for police officers and any other individual in the law enforcement field to properly abide by ethical standards.

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

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

This means that even the criminals, who are a part of the public, have certain rights, particularly, civil rights. Police brutality causes a major concern in today’s society in America and a resolution is imminent. These racial prejudices are rooted in America’s deep psyche to grasp its power, we must move American original sin, slavery, and its corollary the terrible fear transmitted from generation to generation of a revolt. Police misconduct can be described as any inappropriate behavior on the part of any law enforcement officer that is either illegal or immoral or both.

On the other hand, there is that amount of people who believe if the victims really did do something so terribly wrong, they deserve the punishment they receive. This can be a very touchy subject to talk about since there are so many viewpoints on police brutality and corruption, but there are some officers who are getting away with abusing their power. Police corruption can be used in many different ways, but the most common ways are where the police either abuse their contracts as officers to gain power for themselves in the department or for personal gain, like bribery or officers using the evidence taken for themselves. Extortion is also a problem in the system where officers use their power to threaten someone in order to get ownership of property or money. In one case, Enfield officer Matthew Worden was accused of using excessive force, meaning that while the suspects

‘’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.

Corruption is a type of misconduct and offense in which the police break their contract and oath by abusing their power for personal gain or even for departmental gain. Examples of types of police corruption a. Bribery- police officer receives bribes so that they cannot write tickets for people who have gone against the law for example, from prostitutes and gambling, bribery does not only affect the united states but its world spread, examples of other countries with highest percentage of bribery are Pakistan and France. b. Assault on suspects- police officers use excessive force on suspects leading to injuries and at times suspects end up dying in their custody. Some police officers have been charged with murder of suspects in their custody.