Ethics and Law Enforcement Essay

Regardless if any unmatchable knows it or non, everyone actually spiriteds in accordance with few sort of ethical amount. Some may refer to it as a code, a creed, or even a motto however ethics itself is defined as a set of moral principles or value (Meriam-Webster). Ethics is an extremely master(prenominal) aspect of society in customary and is applicable in every employment, however it holds a high reverefulness in just inflictment. Law enforcement chest of drawersrs be entrusted by the overt to non only uphold the rectitudes and order of our society and also sound by and obey them they atomic number 18 given the highest authority in the unify States to take a citizens life if it is required. Without ethics there would be subversion which would lead to chaos and an unstable society being the polar opposite of what natural rightfulness enforcement stands for and represents. Ethics may be interpreted in legion(predicate) a(prenominal) ways whether it i s based by religion or by laws themselves scarcely may also be summed up by doing what is justly.There are different parts of ethics as well a scripted standard, example, and enforcement that all combine to mark what is known as ethics. Ethics tidy sum be interpreted as a set of rules regulating the mode in which an individual or group of individuals should act. The destineing itself is hard to hit out as it backside be defined by many different beliefs. Is ethical manner the said(prenominal) as being a law abiding citizen? Absolutely not laws are more a great deal than not based on ethical standards however some laws back end easily deviate from what is considered to be truly ethical (Manuel Velasquez). For example, relative to what is right away considered unethical are the pre Civil War laws al showtimeing slavery. During that era it was acceptable and legal to be a slave owner and remained unchanged until the final twig of the American Civil War.Throughout our h istory, federal ethics bring on been have been implemented in a responsive manner to issues that have surfaced and at long last being accumulated in 1962 with the formation of Chapter 11 Title 18 United States Code. In 1989 former President Bush enacted the Ethics make better Act of 1989 which attempted to ensure uniformity of ethics regulation end-to-end the disposal. Law enforcement agencies regardless of the jurisdictional level are all subsidiaries of the government and all agencies have a common goal which is to ensure umpire fairly and uniformly one team, one fight is a thoroughly descriptor for this commonality. Ethics is the same way, in order for law enforcement to pass its goal every agency essential operate in a uniformed manner allowing for proficiency and efficiency.If law enforcement did not operate in such a way then order would be nonexistent and create chaos which leads us to integrity. Integrity is defined as a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic value (Meriam-Webster). A practicable explanation of integrity is, doing the right things, for the right reasons, even when no one is looking. What good is an ethical standard if there is no integrity towards it? After creating the standard law enforcement must have the integrity to carry it out even when no one is looking it is only then that the mission succeeds. Ethics can be broken down into three categories a create verbally code, lead by example, and fair and bustling enforcement. each code of ethics should not only be known by the policemans it covers but also by the popular. By providing the ethical code in a written form this can be giveed, then through initial training and bimonthly reinforcement it can continuously be disseminated to both audiences.An example of this is written code is as follows As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental work is to serve mankind to safeguard lives and property to protect the innocent against deception, the exhaust ed against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice. I testament life my private life unsullied as an example to all hold courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule part self-restraint and be constantly mindful of the welfare of new(prenominal)s. Honest in thought and deed in both my ad hominem and official life, I forget be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided in me in my official capacity will be unplowed ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty. I will never act officiously or permit personal feelings, prejudices, animosities or friendships to influence my decisions.With no compromise for crime and the relentless prosecution of viciouss, I will enforce the law courteously and appropriately without p recaution of favor, malice or ill will, never employing unnecessary force or violence and never accepting gratuities. I recognize the badge of my office as a figure of customary organized religion, and I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am square to the ethics of the police service. I will constantly strive to achieve these objectives and ideals, dedicating myself before God to my chosen professionlaw enforcement (Diltz). Each individual agency has some variance of the said(prenominal) ethical code and it serves as a moral guideline for its officers to live their personal and professional lives. Lets analyze this code what does it mean? The exampled code simply explains that the law enforcement officers duty is to enforce the laws and safeguard mankind while in the performance of these duties it is imperative and right that the officer also respect the rights of the citizens.It further explains the professional conduct of the officer as not allowing person al feelings to affect their decisions and acknowledges that the badge is a symbol of public faith given to him and any deviation from an ethical behavior compromises that public trust. Law enforcement officers are expected to be the example and must preserve that expectation through their conduct and relationships with the communities. Everyone has heard the phrase, Lead by example at some point in their life. This is especially true in law enforcement because if we do not act in the same manner in which we expect our citizens to act our credibility becomes questionable. This concept is efficient throughout the built-in chain of command of any agency as well if the upper echelon of leadership acquires to cut corners then the idea of if it is ok for the boss to do it, then it is ok for me to do it will allot like wildfire.Then the public will observe this mentality and begin the same activity creating a full system breakdown in society. In regard to fair and vigorous enforcement this concept has the highest impact on society and ethical code. If the perception of unfair treatment and enforcement occurs then the entire system becomes invalid and fails. In order to help prevent this there must be a definitive explanation between centre principles and tangents of those principals. A properly functioning system should be constructed to be proportional, nontrivial, and realistic (Lenox). Ethical behavior is the action of applying the code of ethics to ones own life. This action accomplishes the goal of fair and vigorous enforcement through the aesthesis that not only must there be fair and vigorous enforcement of the code but also of the citizens.Law enforcement as a unit of measurement is incapable of completely deterring and serving justice alone it is through the cooperation and assist of the community in which we serve that we accomplish the mission wholly. Whether it is an anonymous tip or a confidential informant, those pieces of intelligence assist law enforcement agencies in solving crimes, deterring crime, and ultimately keeping the communities safe. It is through the ethical behavior of the officers that act with the community that preserves this relationship with the public. If ethical behavior became a low priority the entire system as a whole would eventually begin to collapse. Let us examine the publics opinion of law enforcement compared to that of other social institutions. Throughout the past, various polling organizations have sought-after(a) the publics opinion of different social institutions and in 1993 law enforcement was added to that polling list.On average, law enforcement ranked from second to third place for having the publics agency and trust. Through ethics and upholding ethical behavior, it is possible for law enforcement to perform their duties efficiently and support the publics opinion of them. In the same data the criminal justice system as a whole was ranked as having approximately twenty-fou r percent of the publics confidence. According to The Administration of Justice Program at George mason University, it is possible that the public associates the majority of the criminal justice system with lawyers who are viewed by the public as among the least honest and ethical professionals, generating levels of confidence similar to those who sell cars and insurance. Another possibility is that the public is responding to the mission and motivations they charge to police. If the police mission is seen as bringing wrongdoers to justice and helping those who are wronged, then that is a simpler, more easily conceived mission than one for the criminal justice system.The courts in particular, operate in theory at least as an adversarial system in which one side tries to convict wrongdoers and the other attempts to get them acquitted or minimize their punishment. Such a tress has a zero-sum quality, where the more one side wins, the more the other loses. set about with assessing a more complex mapping, perhaps many citizens select one aspect or the other, and invariably find the courts wanting when they attempt to accomplish both simultaneously (Catherine Gallagher). Regardless of the manner in which the data was refractory by the public it is consistent with the idea that law enforcement is held to a higher standard and it is clearly imperative that law enforcement must continue to maintain strict integrity to their ethical standards. Through this the public faith will continue to maintain and even grow. In conclusion, we have defined ethics and integrity acknowledging the importance of both and there necessity in law enforcement as a whole.The ethical standard that law enforcement adheres to is truly important not because law enforcement is thought to be better than the average citizen but because they are held and expected to be of higher standard. If ethics was not held in such high regard than who would police the police? An ethical standard can be created but it is only through it existing in written form and being disseminated appropriately, followed by all through leadership by example, and enforcement to reinforce its importance that it becomes effective.With these aspects fulfilled it then becomes practicable and use to the law enforcement officers life in his or her behavior. The public holds law enforcement to a higher standard because they see them as role models of society and expect them to act accordingly both professionally and personally. Any compromise to this expectation causes mistrust amongst the public towards police and leads to disorder. Law enforcements objectives in responding to calls for service are gaining control or compliance and resolution. With a lack of ethical conduct and mistrust or lack of faith in police these objectives become nearly impossible to achieve in a proportional manner.BibliographyCatherine Gallagher, Edward R. Maguire, Stephen D. Mastrofski, Michael D. Reisig. The Public Image of Police. 02 10 2001. 16 05 2011 . Diltz, reproduce and Ruth. Police Officer Code of Ethics. 2 12 2002. 16 05 2011 . Lenox, William. scheme Of Rules Of Ethics For Employees And Officials For A Securities Regulatory Agency. 5 4 2006. 12 5 2011 . Manuel Velasquez, Claire Andre, Thomas Shanks, S.J., and Michael J. Meyer. What is Ethics? 2010. 16 05 2011 . Meriam-Webster. Defenition of Ethics. 1999. 12 05 2011 .. Definition of Integrity. 1999. 17 05 2011 .