NCJ Number
143466
Date Published
1992
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This video reviews the core ethical standards for police officers, suggests guidelines for implementing them, and identifies some of the reasons why individual officers may fail to comply with departmental ethical standards.
Abstract
The video indicates that law enforcement ethics requires that police act objectively, courteously, safely, and in accordance with the law in performing their duties. This precludes behavior spurred by anger, bias, personal gain, or the unnecessary use of force. Information on ethical police behavior is provided in this video through actual police behaviors caught on tape and through an interview with a training consultant who teaches police ethics. The instruction emphasizes that police must be thoroughly trained to act ethically in high stress situations, based upon a learned decisionmaking process. Steps listed in the video for making an ethical decision are to clearly understand the issues involved, to evaluate the facts, to make the decision, and to have follow through action. An assessment of an officer's decision should consider whether the resulting behavior is legal, the effect of the decision and behavior on the officer's self image is positive, and whether or not it is fair to all concerned. Some factors that influence officers to act unethically are the pressure to achieve a goal without regard to the means used, the effect of poorly managed stress, emotional needs that are in conflict with ethical behavior, and a self- serving life orientation. Police managers and departments should reward and promote ethical behavior so that the subculture of a police department reinforces rather than undermines ethical behavior.