Police officers act the bridge between the government and the civilians; the officers are the representatives of the law and government. Since the law is supposed to be indiscriminately and used to protect all citizens, the officers have to be committed to it and act with integrity. Commitment is the dedication to ones cause. Integrity, on the other hand, is upholding moral principles and being honest. Police officers are supposed to be guided by commitment since their work is demanding and morals guide them against social evils such as corruption which are rampant in the policing world. The main duty of the police officers is protecting people and their property, and that can only be achieved through commitment and promoting fairness by avoiding bribes and gifts so that certain people can benefit. Exploring the importance of integrity and commitment helps determine how to promote ethics in policing and fair service to a nation.
Policing department is one of the corrupt faculties in the nation. The officers are associated with receiving gifts and bribes from civilians so that they can ignore when the law is being broken or offer favors. Some officers are worse as they support crimes, even those against human beings such as trafficking so that they can get an agreed profit. Such crimes are due to the spread of immorality in the policing department (Carr & Maxwell, 2018). When the officers have integrity, they are aware of their duty and are committed to it despite the temptations of making more money. Committed officers work to bring criminals to justice, as long as they are protecting human beings, without considering the monetary benefits they could have achieved.
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Integrity and commitment lead the officers in respecting the law. Police officers have been associated with abusing the law, and feeling that they are above it since no person will bring them to justice. When the officers are off work, they get drunk, ignore the traffic lights, use abusive language, or even engage in street fights. However, the badge appears to protect, such as officer, which shows unjust cases. The officers are supposed to lead by example, and it can only be achieved through commitment. Police officers are guided by an oath when on duty or off duty, to uphold the law. Therefore, acting as if no one can punish them is wrong, but with integrity and commitment, the officers act accordingly and even guide the civilians on how they should behave (Grant, 2018). When the officers respect the law, the community members understand its importance and follow the same example.
Commitment and integrity improve the relationship between police officers and community members. The relationship between law enforcers and citizens has been getting worse with time, making it hard to enforce the law. The officers are known to conduct searches and seizures on the property without warranties, thus invading privacy. When handling the citizens, the officers have also been known to use force without considering that such causes harm to human beings. Creating fear among the citizens so that they can obey has also widened the gap between the citizens and the law enforcers. When the police officers have integrity and are committed, they follow the established laws on how they should handle the citizens (Carr & Maxwell, 2018). The officers will always have integrity and ensuring that everything is for protecting the citizens and not causing harm to them.
Commitment and integrity are essential for reporting purposes in the working environment. When the officers have been sent in the field, they have a duty of reporting on various factors such as security, crime levels, use of drugs and other cases which may interfere with the security and running the community smoothly. Some officers may decide to conceal some information on an issue such as drug cartels if they are benefiting from them, yet they have the duty of reporting so that the police managers can decide best ways of curbing the spread of drugs (Grant, 2018). Lack of commitment to report the current information puts the community at dangers. The drugs, for instance, will continue to be spread, exposing them to the youth and that will end up increasing the rates of crime in the society. When the officers are not honest when conducting their duties, society ends up suffering most.
Commitment and honest are ways of establishing open communication channels. Communication within the police department and with the community is essential as it helps discuss the issues being faced and how they can be solved. The officers can create trust with the civilians through communication, and in that way, both parties will work together to solve issues such as crimes. A civilian can trust the officers with information on crime leads expecting that they will comprehend such individuals without any harm getting to other community members (Carr & Maxwell, 2018). When the officers communicate with each other, they are also able to combine efforts and teamwork will make their work much easier. Miscommunication may affect how the officers operate as some information concealed may lead to insecurity. In addition, a single officer cannot promote peace and security, and thus, communication will promote commitment to the police duties.
Honesty and commitment guide the police officers when looking out of each other when on duty. In policing, the “blue wall of silence” is used to describe situations where the officers do not report their fellow officers when they are involved in illegal or unethical acts. The police officers fear to be considered as weak or hated by the other officers and prefer to ignore when their colleagues are breaking the law. When the officers have integrity, they believe that any person who breaks the law should be punished and no power is above the law. Such officers report their colleagues on any mistakes they make and follow up the cases to ensure that such corrupt officers are punished. The law enforcers with such values ensure that the police department maintains its integrity and serves the community without being swayed by social evils.
Commitment and integrity will guide the police leaders in ensuring that the police department is running in the right way. The police leaders will determine how everything will be done, such as assigning of duties and dispatching the officers. The leader should be able to plan, organize, manage, and control all operations at the department, which is only possible through commitment. When the officers in the field provide feedback, the leader should take information and establish the issues in the community and find a solution (Grant, 2018). There are lots of operations in a police department, with civilians visiting all through for assistance and reporting crimes. These duties are demanding, and unless the lead officer is committed, the department will be ineffective. Integrity will guide the lead officer against favoring the police officers when sharing duties or when they have broken the law.
Saint Leo Core Value of Responsible Stewardship describes the values which should guide the police officers on their daily operations. These values are trained to the officers when they are still in practice. The values are meant to guide the police officers against daily temptations and stresses faced in the policing profession. The police officers are required to make ethical decisions in their work concerning lots of issues such as favoritism, use of excessive force, bribery, and arresting offenders. To avoid being swayed, the values as outlined by Saint Leo are meant to guide the officers (Grant, 2018). To ensure that the officers do not get about these core values, they should receive training continuously in their profession. It will ensure that high levels of integrity are upheld as the officers will always be guided by moral and ethical values.
Saint Leo insists on the value-based program in the policing department. It will be used in breaking the “blue wall of silence,” a code which keeps the officers from reporting each other on their mistakes. The officers are loyal to each other, which is caused by peer pressure, self-doubt, and agency custom. Through training, the officers will be trained, and the behavior of doing the right thing enforced. The officers will learn the importance of being honest and understanding the main duty of protecting the citizens, even from corrupt officers. Value-based training will also concern how the police officer should create contact with the citizens and supporting the community members on their operations. Through the values the police officers use, they will be able to change the current perception the civilians have about the law enforcers. The values will not be guiding the officers when they ate on duty alone but also on their personal lives.
The core values championed by Saint Leo for responsible policing are excellence, community, respect, personal development, integrity, and responsible stewardship. The excellence of the police officers determines their moral responsibility and the commitment to achieving the mission, vision, and goals of the police department they are operating with. Police officers have to undertake training where the character is developed and learning the skills not only in combat but as well as creating human relationships (Carr & Maxwell, 2018). The training is meant to make the officers be morally responsible. When the officers are excellent at their duty, the rates of crimes in the society are reduced, there is a trust relationship between the officers and the community members and honesty is maintained at all levels.
Protecting the community is the main aim of the police officers. According to Saint Leo, the officers should understand the community they are assigned and the backgrounds of the people. In that way, the challenges such as language barriers when the officers are dealing with the civilians will be avoided. Understand the values, beliefs, and practices of the community will also be essential in determining how to create a community despite the differences that exist (Grant, 2018). The officers will also understand how to foster trust with each individual and determine how to listen and serve all community members equally and in just measures.
Police officers are supposed to maintain respect with colleagues and civilians. There are laws which guide the law enforcers on how they should handle the criminals, and despite their mistake, their dignity should be maintained. Use of excessive force, for example, is wrong and against the law. When officers respect the citizens, they intern respect them, and it results in a harmonious environment for working, with officers and citizens working together to foster peace and security.
Personal development is essential for the police officers, which can be achieved by training them continuously throughout their profession. Personal development will equip the officers with varying ways in which they can handle the stress and challenges faced in the daily operations (Carr & Maxwell, 2018). Training is also essential as it provides the officers with a balanced life, spiritually, mentally, and physically. Commitment to personal development is essential as it helps the officers to grow their character.
The police officers have a responsibility towards the policing department and the community. To uphold the responsibility, the officer has to ensure that the resources available are being utilized in the right way such as being trained to understand how to interact with the community members (Grant, 2018). The officers have to ensure that security is promoted in the community by working with the civilians to do away with crime and leading by example.
Integrity value guides the officers on upholding honesty, justice, and consistency in actions and behavior. The law enforcers should act as role models guiding the citizens on how they should act. When the officers are honest, they follow all crimes in society and follow them without accepting a bribe (Carr & Maxwell, 2018). Instead, such officers ensure that corruption is reduced significantly and where required, reporting the corrupt officers, and create a department that is running on honesty.
The duties of police officers are very tempting. There are people who are willing to pay bribes and give gifts to get favors, and there are officers willing to accept it. However, when the officers are equipped with integrity and commitment, they can withstand all these challenges and work towards promoting security and safety in society.
References
Carr, J. D., & Maxwell, S. R. (2018). Police officers’ perceptions of organizational justice and their trust in the public. Police Practice and Research, 19(4), 365-379.
Grant, H. B. (2018). Police Integrity in the Developing World. Springer International Publishing.
