Law Enforcement Ethics Summary
The Study of Ethics for a Law Enforcement Career
Mark Roggeman
Colorado Christian University
The Study of Ethics for a Law Enforcement Career For someone who chooses to become a law enforcement officer he or she must understand the importance of having moral ethics standards in order to do the job effectively and professionally. Police officers are held by the public to a higher standard of morality and are expected to be above reproach. Sadly, we see in the news all to often police officers that have exhibited unethical conduct both on the job and in their private lives. When an officer commits an improper act of some type it impacts the entire law enforcement profession, in some cases …show more content…
This lifelong endeavor should be regarded not only as a means, but also as an end, desirable in itself.”(p.14) Aristotle believed that virtue ethics are learned through habit; therefore the application of virtuous behavior is brought about only through practice. Law enforcement agencies when recruiting candidates do extensive background investigations that include going to the schools they attended growing up and interviewing their teachers and friends. A polygraph test is given and psychological profiles are done all with the intention to determine those who demonstrate strong moral values before they are hired. In an FBI Bulletin article that focuses law enforcement ethics shows that in the pursuit of finding those who exhibit virtue ethics they …show more content…
Proponents of virtue ethics argue that certain officers misbehave because they lack character. These “bad apples” managed to “slip through the cracks” despite their unethical values. They argue that police abuse occurs in isolated incidents and involves a few immoral opportunists who were corrupt before they became officers. Unfortunately, this interpretation fails to explain how otherwise exemplary officers with no prior history of wrongdoing, many of whom are sterling role models in their families, churches, and communities, can become involved in misconduct. (www.fbi.gov)
In police academies across the nation are training police officers in ethics, it has become part of the curriculum in order to prevent a scandalous situation. In an online article at PoliceOne.com makes a very interesting point concerning virtue ethics development in a person:
It is unlikely that an increase in ethics training alone will lead to more ethical policing. You can’t train ethics in the same way as other skills. It’s not a definable ability but is instead the result of education comprised of peer discussions, formal and informal training, and thoughtful reflection.
Mark Roggeman
Colorado Christian University
The Study of Ethics for a Law Enforcement Career For someone who chooses to become a law enforcement officer he or she must understand the importance of having moral ethics standards in order to do the job effectively and professionally. Police officers are held by the public to a higher standard of morality and are expected to be above reproach. Sadly, we see in the news all to often police officers that have exhibited unethical conduct both on the job and in their private lives. When an officer commits an improper act of some type it impacts the entire law enforcement profession, in some cases …show more content…
This lifelong endeavor should be regarded not only as a means, but also as an end, desirable in itself.”(p.14) Aristotle believed that virtue ethics are learned through habit; therefore the application of virtuous behavior is brought about only through practice. Law enforcement agencies when recruiting candidates do extensive background investigations that include going to the schools they attended growing up and interviewing their teachers and friends. A polygraph test is given and psychological profiles are done all with the intention to determine those who demonstrate strong moral values before they are hired. In an FBI Bulletin article that focuses law enforcement ethics shows that in the pursuit of finding those who exhibit virtue ethics they …show more content…
Proponents of virtue ethics argue that certain officers misbehave because they lack character. These “bad apples” managed to “slip through the cracks” despite their unethical values. They argue that police abuse occurs in isolated incidents and involves a few immoral opportunists who were corrupt before they became officers. Unfortunately, this interpretation fails to explain how otherwise exemplary officers with no prior history of wrongdoing, many of whom are sterling role models in their families, churches, and communities, can become involved in misconduct. (www.fbi.gov)
In police academies across the nation are training police officers in ethics, it has become part of the curriculum in order to prevent a scandalous situation. In an online article at PoliceOne.com makes a very interesting point concerning virtue ethics development in a person:
It is unlikely that an increase in ethics training alone will lead to more ethical policing. You can’t train ethics in the same way as other skills. It’s not a definable ability but is instead the result of education comprised of peer discussions, formal and informal training, and thoughtful reflection.