Law Enforcement Agency Ethical Issues Essay

One of many problems faced by law enforcement in society today is public perception of an agency’s ethical issues. These issues can stem from behavior of an individual to the practices of an agency. Regardless, the ethical practices of a law enforcement agency are vital in establishing trust with the citizens whom they serve, retention of the officers whom they employ and maintaining the ability to work with outside organizations. At the forefront of all this is human resource management.

The responsibility of human resource management today is much more than ensuring new employees successfully navigate the hiring process. They are vital in making sure that a law enforcement agency is moving in the direction of becoming or remaining an ethical agency (Sloan & Gavin, 2010). Such a goal is accomplished by establishing clear guidelines for ethical behavior and hiring individuals whose ethics further the agency’s objective. However, according to (Sloan & Gavin,
The policy and procedures should encompass the function, responsibilities and expected ethical behavior of human resource management as well as the agency’s leadership. In other words, the example of ethical behavior starts with leadership. Having said that, when the policy and procedures of a law enforcement agency are clear and concise regarding ethical behavior, employees better understand what is expected of them. Therefore, once established, they should be reviewed often and updated to guarantee goals are being achieved (Sloan & Gavin, 2010). In my agency, human resource management and leadership conduct an annual review of policy and procedures and have found that changes are often needed. By making the necessary changes, we have seen a change in how our officers respond to different situations and have received positive public