Ethics is basically doing what is right where the right thing is dependent of the existent societal values. Police officers are expected to uphold the right to ensure fairness, justice and order in the community. Maintaining high ethical standards in the policing unit is vital to achieving the modern goals of policing just like any tactic or technology used.
Details of the case and evaluation of ethical dilemmas involved, including all key details
The city of Baltimore has been plagued by a corrupt police unit these past years. In particular, the city’s Gun Trace Task Force was uncovered in a conspiracy and eight of its members charged, six of them pleaded guilty. The police officers were accused of stealing property, drugs and money from perpetrators of crime and innocent citizens alike. They also doctored police reports which made it possible for them to be rewarded unfairly for overtime thus doubling their salaried. They also seized weapons only to have them resold on the streets which increased the city’s already existing problem of gun violence. There were videos from body cameras showing police planting drug evidence and incidences of falsified testimonies that convicted people behind bars. Two officers namely Daniel Hersl and Marcus Taylor were convicted of racketeering, fraud and robbery after four of their colleagues made deals in exchange for information ( Cox & Rector, 2018) .
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
The worst part of this scandal is that it occurred during a separate police misconduct investigation over an incident that happened in 2015 where a young African American man named Freddie Gray succumbed from a broken spine suffered while in police custody. The investigation had revealed abusive behavior in policing especially toward the Baltimore African American community who had been complaining about it for years to no avail. Many of them had complained of being stopped by police, frisked and arrested without cause and public trust had already been eroded for years (The Editorial Board, 2018).
Details and evaluation of the code of conduct related to the case,
For police officers, their oath of office is the foundation of their ethical responsibility. To solidify this, most agencies expect their officers to follow a code of ethics in the line of duty. According to the ethical code of conduct, police officers are expected to safeguard the lives, rights and property of the people without bias ( Stephens & Carter, 1994). Their badges are a symbol of public trust and are held to high esteem to not only enforce the law but to follow it as well both when on and off duty (Roufa, 2012). In the case stated above, the officers failed first to uphold the law as they themselves became thieves, drug and gun dealers and planted evidence to implicate innocent people. They breached the public trust represented by the badge and became no more than common criminals. Police officers should also consider that their actions affect them, their colleagues and perhaps the entire profession so they have an ethical obligation to safeguard the image of a police officer. For instance whereas a bunch of rogue police officers have been for years terrorizing the citizens of Baltimore, the entire department is under siege even if perhaps there were some good and law abiding officers within the bunch (Roufa, 2012).
Details and evaluation of societal opinions of the case
Whether on or off duty, people expect police officers to behave because they are entrusted with protecting the public within the law and entrusting one’s safety to anyone requires trust on their part and integrity on the officer’s part (Stephens & Carter, 1994). The public is fickle and even if one does something bad while off duty they will still be judged for it (Roufa, 2012). In this case, the public of Baltimore and particularly the African American community has lost faith in the system.
One man, Ivan Potts, who was convicted for gun possession based on the testimony of officers from the Gun Trace Task Force told the prosecutor that the officers ruined his life and that he is “…trying to make a positive change in [his] life and a positive change in my city [but that] In Baltimore right now, it's just filled with negativity. We don't see no hope.” ( Cox & Rector, 2018) I believe most members of the public feel the same. The corrupt police unit has also increased the crime rate instead of reducing it as per their mandate. Reselling guns and narcotics in a city that is already struggling to eradicate this problem makes it worse. Besides, how can an officer expect to be the moral authority on crime if they are committing it themselves? They cannot.
Recommendations
Implications of misconduct
The events that have been taking place in Baltimore are grotesque and should not be allowed to continue further. The first thing that needs to be reviewed is any convictions that were made based on evidence presented by any of the indicted officers. These cases will have to be dismissed and even though some people who were convicted were guilty, the fact is that the process has no credibility and there is no telling what crimes were committed during the process. This means that some real criminals will get back on the streets because of the misconduct of these officers. According to the public defender’s office, approximately 2000 cases will be affected by this (Levenson & Del Valle, 2017). The victims of wrongful conviction will also have to be compensated by the government ( Cox & Rector, 2018) . However, I am not sure what value can make up for losing a chunk of one’s life while serving a sentence for something they probably didn’t do.
Recommended course of action for the officer
In 1994, Congress gave the Department of Justice the mandate to restructure any police departments that were reported to be involved in gross misconduct if they were unable to stamp out the negative behavior on their own (The Editorial Board, 2018). During Obama’s administration, the Department of Justice made a deal to have Baltimore reform through training and technology, transparency measures and community oversight. The Baltimore police department has been accused on several occasions of abusing the people it should protect and it has failed to maintain law and order in a manner that is openly visible. Therefore, the monitor appointed by the court to determine when the department has met the reforms should keep such failures in mind.
The move to reform this department is urgent now more than ever as demonstrated by the evidence presented against Hersl and Taylor as it is very questionable to have a system that allows that kind of behavior and for such a long period. In addition to this, the Gun Trace Task Force should be dissolved due to this misconduct and indicted police officers jailed and fined for damages caused to the city and their victims. Further investigation into the entire Baltimore Police Department should begin to punish other corrupt and unethical officers who have not yet been caught. These actions would help to reform the department and perhaps in time, the department can regain the trust of the public. In any case, the first step would be to stamp out the problem that is affecting this police unit from its roots.
References
Cox, E., & Rector, K. (2018). Baltimore police corruption inspires state bills for stiffer punishment for officers, payouts for victims. Retrieved from http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/bs-md-corruption-bills-20180209-story.html
The Editorial Board. (2018, February 19). Corrupt Police Need Federal Oversight. The New York Times , p. A20.
Levenson, E., & Del Valle, L. (2017). 2,000 cases affected by Baltimore police misconduct, public defender says. Retrieved from https://edition.cnn.com/2017/12/05/us/baltimore-police-misconduct-cases/index.html
Roufa, T. (2012). Learn About Ethics in Law Enforcement and What the Public Expects. Retrieved from https://www.thebalance.com/ethics-in-law-enforcement-and-policing-974542
Stephens, D. W., & Carter, D. L. (1994). Police ethics, integrity, and off-duty behavior: policy issues of officer conduct (from police deviance, third edition, p 29-44, 1994, Thomas Barker and David L Carter, eds. -- see NCJ-144538) (NCJ-144538). Retrieved from National Criminal Justice Reference service website: https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=144541
