Ethics and Professional Code of Conduct essay
Ethics and integrity are crucial for a police chief or county sheriff. The term “police ethics” can be defined as a code of values that affects conduct, behavior and decision making of police officers. Police officers should be aware of the significance of ethical behavior. The term “integrity” can be defined as a set of beliefs that contribute to the effectiveness of the agency’s operations based on the application of professional and personal ethics. In fact, integrity is a vital quality of a police officer because it includes the following concepts: honesty, morality, honor, responsibility and dedication to one’s mission. Integrity is reflected in the formal Code of Ethics. There are three major reasons that can be used to explain the importance of ethics and integrity for a police chief or county sheriff. First of all, ethics and integrity make police personnel act more confident, legally and honestly. The Code of ethics says that all police personnel should not only act honestly, but also “be honest in thought” (Barker, 2011, p. 29). Second, ethics and integrity are important for a police chief or county sheriff because any police officer should be exemplary in obeying the established law, rules and regulations. According to researchers, “integrity is just too important to being a professional law enforcement officer that it cannot be compromised in either the officer’s personal or professional life”(Barker, 2011, p. 29). This fact means a police chief or county sheriff should serve role models, demonstrating ethical behavior and decision making. Third, ethics and integrity help police officers to promote community policing, maintaining the public trust through contact and collaboration between the police and community members.
Explain how ethics, morality, and law are different, highlighting the primary focus of law enforcement officers.
Ethics, morality, and law are different; therefore, law enforcement officers should be well-prepared to act ethically in different situations, following the established rules, laws and regulations and applying morality. The primary focus of law enforcement officers is to demonstrate ethical behavior, applying law and morality to different situations. Although ethics has direct relation to morality and laws, there are certain differences between these concepts (Banks, 2011). A law enforcement officer should be aware of these differences in order to make correct decisions.
Recommend two (2) ways a police chief or county sheriff should use ethics and the code of conduct in decision making.
As the credibility of police officers is affected by their compliance with the established laws and with standard behaviors aimed at promoting public order and safety in the community, police officer should be responsible for their conduct and decision making. Ethics and the code of conduct may help police officers to make the proper decisions (Banks, 2011). Two ways a police chief or county sheriff should use ethics and the code of conduct in decision making include written policies and unwritten policies. Written policies refer to the adopted documents, such as Police Code of Conduct. Unwritten policies include personal values and moral rules. A police chief or county sheriff should realize that police violence is unethical (Banks, 2011). Moreover, police unethical behavior may lead to racism and violation of human rights. Thus, police officers should use ethics and the code of conduct in decision making in order to perform their duties in a proper way, applying core values and mission statement.
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