Police Work Ethic

This essay discusses the effects of the police organizational culture on a Police officer’s ability to make independent decisions.

Are police ever justified in committing illegal acts that violate others rights are they ever justified especially when there is no personal gain but for reasons that may seem to be about a higher purpose. This is the argument for noble cause corruption. This idea brings it to the end justifies the means thinking. If we start down this line where can it lead us? The idea that we can justify any action that would violate civil rights and other laws because we feel that our cause is noble and it is not being done for personal gain but the good of others can lead us into some dark places. The noble cause thinking is

industry. This change ties in with the change in coercive labor because in order for this industry to boom,

As law enforcement officers develop “working personality” as an occupational exercise, over time it becomes a habit displayed equally during work and off duty, which leads to becoming continuously suspicious of their surroundings, violating civilians constitutional rights, using excessive force, and acts of mayhem. The following are examples of when law enforcement officers “working personality” progresses into to their personal lives as illustrated in the articles below:

New officers need to know that no profession demands a higher ethical standard than law enforcement. Whether or not there are other careers that require a similar dedication to doing the right thing, it is undeniable that there is a tremendous degree of expectations placed upon police officers. Every officer knows, or at least should know by now, that they live in a fishbowl. Friends, relatives, neighbors and strangers watch every move law enforcement officers make, both on and off duty. The fact is that the public scrutinizes police officers more than most other professions, either because they are cynical or hope to catch them screwing up or because they are hopeful

Law enforcers are supposed to hold the ideals of honesty, integrity and responsibility at all times in the line of duty. This is even more profound for police officers whose work should always inspired confidence among the communities they serve and protect. In fact, one of the core values that police officers ought to uphold at all times is inspiring public trust. A huge percentage of police officers use their positions and authority to serve the public while upholding the highest standards of ethics at all times. However, on most occasions, just like in any other profession, law enforcers are faced with a multitude of ethical dilemmas. Ethical dilemmas occur when an officer faces a situation where he does not know the right course of action, when the course of action considered as right is difficult to follow or when following the wrong course of action was very tempting.

Police officers not only have to follow a set of rules and legislation, but they also must behave in a decent manner while on duty as well as off duty. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect, and police officers also make wrong decisions that could jeopardize the integrity of their police department. Often people know something they do is wrong. However, they still do it because they feel no harm will come to them or it they think nobody will ever find out. For instance, cheating on a test is wrong, but people do it because they think they can 't get away without the professor finding out.

In the middle of the 19th century, industrialization had spread to the United States. Industrialization led to the growth of large cities and to a boom in agricultural growth as well. Many significant innovations came out of the

5. Police Working Personality - The textbook definition of the term Police Working Personality, is "all aspects of the traditional values and pattern of behavior evidenced by police officers who have been effectively socialized into the police subculture. Characteristics of the police personality often extend to the personal lives of law enforcement personnel" (Schmalleger 242). In 1960, a renowned criminologist by the name of Jerome Skolnick termed the description of the police personality as "Police Working Personality." Arthur Niederhoffer made the observation that cynicism was pervasive among officers in New York City and more recent authors have claimed that the "big curtain of secrecy" surrounding much of police work shields knowledge

When this loyalty to the subculture becomes too strong, the unity that follows can adversely affect the ethical values of the officers (Martin 2011). This type of work environment causes officers to feel like they are doing what is wanted by their organizations and the public and the officers may continue with the behavior because the pressure to produce results is greater than that to follow the rules. A law enforcement department might choose to punish an individual, but the fear of punishment usually is not enough to change unwanted behavior (Martin 2011).

The topic of discretion in police work has been extremely enlightening for me. I never fully grasped the depth in which officers have to make such serious decisions in such intense and alarming situations. I believe from our chapter and from the lecture that Police do have a considerably fair amount of discretion that they get to exercise. But I do understand that it is an incredibly subjective topic. There are so many different situations that call for different reactions. While I do believe that force, weapons and those kinds of tactics need to be used only when warranted, I also believe that the officer should have the power to protect themselves and those around them in dangerous situations. I don't think that most people understand the hard work and diligence it takes to understand what to do and how to react in every situation that officers have to face. The ability to have the strength and intelligence to use discretion in a positive and ethical way, takes a lot of emotional intelligence, quickness and good judgment.

Stress is a term used by many, is somewhat misunderstood, and often used to describe a negative condition or emotional state. People experience various forms of stress at home, work, in social settings, and when engaged in activities to simply have fun, such as playing sports. Police officers experience stress the same as others, but also in ways much different than the average citizen. The dangers, violence, and tragedy seen by officers result in added levels of stress not experienced by the general population.

Police ethics play a major role in law enforcement today, ethics are fundamental towards helping law enforcement build trust within communities, provide public safety, and stop crime. Into today’s law enforcement, ethics is posing a major role with police corruption and police brutality. Police brutality has also been amplified majorly though the force multiplier or as we better know as the “media”. Defining police ethics come down to good police officer to bad police officer, or living by the oath that officers take before putting on the uniform each day. Do we as law enforcement officials have the integrity to do that right thing when no one is looking? In this paper, I’m presenting three values and discuss how they can help define police ethics.

Expectancy theory could also be overlaid over another theory (e.g. Maslow). Maslow could be used to describe which outcomes people are motivated by and Vroom to describe whether they will act based upon their experience and

Radosevich, D. J., Levine, M. S., Sumner, K. E., Knight, M. B., Arendt, L. A., & Johnson, V. A. (2009). The role of expectancy theory in goal striving processes. Journal Of The Academy Of Business & Economics, 9(4), 186-192.