Police officers are faced with ethical dilemmas on a daily basis. These dilemmas can range from accepting a free cup of coffee from a business owner to being offered a bribe by a suspect. In some situations, officers have to make a decision in haste that could affect the rest of their career and personal life. Undercover officers face additional ethical dilemmas due to the nature of undercover work. It is crucial that officers are educated about and reminded from time to time of the Oath they took when hired.
Police officers have a code of ethics they agree to uphold when they are sworn in. The IACP has a code of ethics that law enforcement agencies have adopted. This organization also encourages on-going ethics training.
Your task for this assignment is to address the following issues:
Are there any changes you would make to the IACP Oath? Why or why not?
Compare and contrast the IACP Oath and the oath of your local police department? (If you cannot locate the oath of your local department, you may use the oath of any police department. Does media coverage of police officer corruption over-simplify the ethical dilemmas police officers face on a daily basis? Discuss what “entitlement” means and how it can affect the officers in your department.
Evaluate why many police departments ignore “entitlement” and focus more on other unethical behaviors during ethics training.
Discuss some solutions that your department can institute to ensure the officers understand the ethical dilemmas “entitlement” poses for the police department and the careers of the officers.
