Exploratory Paper

Police Ethics

John L. Darrah

Professor Clay

Unit II Mini Project BCJ-4301

May 7, 2015

Police Ethics

In my humble opinion, no other career field expects and demands a higher standard than those in the Law Enforcement career field. I have been in this field for over twenty years now and police officers are constantly under the microscope. Sure medical professionals are under a lot of stress as well and must obey by their code of ethics as well. However, turn on any local news channel and you are almost guaranteed to hear a story of a officer using excessive force or is being charge with accepting bribes. Most personnel in this type of work revert back to how they were raised. Officers normally further develop their character and ethics from gaining experience, conversing with their co-workers, and by studying ethics.

According to Grant (2002), the original code of ethics was first written in 1857 . Its original intent was to protect their employees and was written by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. It was later was revised at a conference in Kentucky in 1989. In 1991, members of the association voted unanimously to adopt the new code.

As law enforcement personnel progress through their careers, the opportunity to reinforce the need for continuous learning and development is a constant theme. In leading by example, police leaders also undertake learning opportunities. Some of the emerging trends police officers deal with are: public surveillance cameras and use of facial recognition software, expanded employment opportunities for police intelligence analysts, and more widespread use in body cams

Some of the current and future issues that are arising are advances in technology and the media. More and more people today are carrying around cell phones and other devices and are using them to record the actions of police officers and then putting them on social media sites. The biggest issue is the media. They are very quick to portray what they think has occurred. Most of the stories that they report they are hyping them up as racially motivated incidents without knowing the full story.

Conclusion

In summary, we all know that law enforcement have to be held to the highest standards and have to maintain the highest standards of professionalism at all times. Even after an intensive high speed vehicle pursuit or a foot pursuit and the suspect gives up, they have to maintain their professionalism and use only the minimum force necessary to subdue and arrest the subject. You just never know who is a bystander that just happens to have their finger on the record button or which local news source happens to be in the area.

References:

Whisenand , P. M. (2011). Supervising police personnel: The fifteen responsibilities (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Learning.

Grant, J. (2002). Ethics and Law Enforcement. Retrieved May 7, 2015, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=198313

Note: John,

Overall, you did well. See the scoring in formation and my comments in the margin. Please make these adjustments for your next submission. K

Grading Rubric:

Topic: 25-Good selection.

Resources: 25-I am not scoring this part this time but be sure to include remaining sources, references, and citations as is appropriate and apply APA Writing Style.

Creativity: 25-topic is current and needs exploration.

Writing/APA mechanics: 25-Writing was fine but APA formatting needs work. I am not grading APA this time but will on your future assignments.

Total Score: 100-Well done but be sure to make the adjustments.

�John: Good job on your title page.

�Set you line spacing to double-space.

�Indent the first line of each paragraph at least .5 Inch.

�I think you meant 1957.

�If you include a reference a citation is required. I do not see a citation for this information source.

�Your reference for this information source is missing information i.e. volume, issue number, and page numbers 71(12), 11-14. Your web address does not actually go to the article. You need to provide a means for locating your article rather than include a landing page. This article can be found in the CSU Library in the ProQuest database. Your reference is to be double-spaced and requires using the Hanging Indent. The first line of each reference is to be flushed left to the margin while the remaining lines are indented .5 Inch. This called the hanging indent.