Subject: Ethical Guidelines for law Enforcement officers
Law enforcement officers must set a good example to the public by adhering to the set ethical guidelines. However, I have noted that some of the law enforcement officers are yet to do so something that is reducing public trust and which can hamper the effectives of the agency. A case in point is one of my colleagues who received a free sports utility car from an influential politician. On asking him, he said that he had bought it but on further investigation I realized that he could not had afforded it since his account was in arrears.
Explanation of why the observed behavior is unethical conduct in the organization
Acquisition of gifts by law enforcement officers is unethical since it contravenes professional code of conduct as well as allows for impartiality in the delivery of justice. Pollock & Reynolds 2015) establish that police officers embody the state and as such bear a heavy accountability of upholding the integrity and honor of government institutions. In such a case, police officers ought to take precautions to ensure that they do not place themselves in positions that make people to expect special consideration. For this reason, law enforcement officers need to be steady in rejecting favors, gifts, and gratuities, which could be used by the public to influence their decision in the course of discharging of their obligations. In the same breath, police code of ethics calls for law enforcement officers to be honest to maintain public faith. International Association of Chiefs of Police (2020) captures this aspect of honesty as follows: “Honest in thought and deed both in my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the law and the regulations of my department”. In this case, police officers must avoid lying and dishonesty as a way of upholding a law enforcement agency’s reputation.
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The implications this conduct may have for the agency and/or the community
Acquiring gifts and gratuities from civilians poses negative implications for the agency, as it seems to tell the public that the police can be influenced. If the public gets to know that the officer accepted a utility sports car from a civilian, the public might take it as a cue to continue with the trend. The problem with such a perception is the fact that the community would gift officers hoping to get favors or to escape from the law. Officers who turn down gifts and gratuities risk being viewed as unfriendly something that would affect community policing. In the same manner, acceptance of gratuities tends to reduce the authority of law enforcement agencies, as they become equals with civilians. Pollock & Reynolds reiterate that gratuities and gifts are ‘an abuse of authority and creates a sense of entitlement’ (188). With time, the police would expect the community to give the officers gifts so that they could get services, which then forms the basis of corruption.
Suggestion for addressing the situation and a summary of any steps that might prevent this issue from recurring
The agency top management needs to confront the with the facts and advise him that he needs to surrender the car before it raises ethical questions. From here, the management ought to conduct intensive training seminars to review policy gratuity policy since it seems that many of the officers are not aware of it. Of importance, here is the need to create a culture that is intolerant to corruption by limiting opportunities for corruption and establishing robust accountability and external supervision.
Suggestions for how the organizational framework for whistleblowing could be improved
The agency should empower the officers with the capacity to report any conduct that is not aligned with the code of ethics guiding the law enforcement officers. One way of encouraging whistleblowing is providing for anonymity to protect sources. However, the agency needs to create a sense of trust so that confidantes can proof their story without blowing their cover and reduce chances for rumors.
References
International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2020) Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. https://www.theiacp.org/resources/law-enforcement-code-of-ethics
Pollock, J. M., Reynolds, P. D. (2015). Ethics and law enforcement. In R. G. Dunham, & G. P Alpert (Eds.), Critical issues in policing: Contemporary readings (pp. 183-218).Waveland Press Inc.
