Week 4 Paper (for Hifsa Shakaut)

Micro Lecture - Week 4

Session 4 Micro Lecture

This week we discuss law enforcement ethics.  The two chapters were chosen for this week lay out a number of significant issues that you will address in your writing assignment.  Don’t be afraid to push the conversation this week by providing specific examples germane to this topic.

There is no question law enforcement has a strong subculture.  This sub-culture can be so strong that it dictates and guides actions at and away from work.  At work, there are pecking orders established, and informal rules guide actions.  For example, when an officer is just beginning a field assignment, they will stand in the back of the room until everyone is seated, so they don’t make a mistake and take the preferred seat of a senior officer.  We could spend all week listing “unspoken rules” that are part of the police sub-culture.  Another example can be taken from off duty events.  My family knows I like to face the door when we visit establishments, especially in restaurants.  That is not a normal behavior for other professions, but it is in the police subculture.  To further embed police subculture, there is the possibility of isolation based on shift work (Fitch, p .147).  When working off hours and holidays, law enforcement officers spend off time with those working like schedules.  Aspects within the subculture are not all bad, but when they are, it is difficult to remove them.  In fact, efforts to stand up against negative aspects may be met with consequences.

Additionally, the extraordinary stress of the work and possible isolation must be proactively balanced by the leaders of the organization.  Effective wellness programs are a way to intervene and promote healthy culture.  The programs directly address issues of stress and the stressful effects of the job.  A major component remains the need to balance life with friends and time away from work.  If you are interested in further information in this area, check out Dr. Kevin Gilmartin’s book titled: “Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement.”  (http://emotionalsurvival.com/about.htm)    

Let’s add another layer to the discussion by addressing the concept of “marginality.”  As stated by Fitch, “Marginality is best defined as exerting the minimal amount of effort needed to “pass” or to “get by” – in other words, exerting only the amount of effort necessary to prevent disqualification or disciplinary action” (p.184).   Said another way, law enforcement organizations can fall into the trap of accepting mediocre behavior from their staff because it is ‘good enough for government work.’  First line supervisors are critical to ensuring the standards of the organization are upheld and push back against the tendency for “marginality.”  If the first line of supervision is weak, then marginality is likely to rule the day in an organization. 

With the understanding of the key concepts for this week, take a moment to look at the Department Review of the Ferguson Police Department reviews of Ferguson (http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/opa/press-releases/attachments/2015/03/04/ferguson_police_department_report.pdf).  You will find the concepts throughout the document. 

“The culture within FPD influences officer activities in all areas of policing, beyond just ticketing. Officers expect and demand compliance even when they lack legal authority. They are inclined to interpret the exercise of free-speech rights as unlawful disobedience, innocent movements as physical threats, and indications of mental or physical illness as belligerence. Police supervisors and leadership do too little to ensure officers act in accordance with law and policy, and rarely respond meaningfully to civilian complaints of officer misconduct. The result is a pattern of stops without reasonable suspicion and arrests without probable cause in violation of the Fourth Amendment; infringement on free expression, as well as retaliation for protected expression, in violation of the First Amendment; and excessive force in violation of the Fourth Amendment.” (p.2)