NCJ Number
155705
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 64 Issue: 6 Dated: (June 1995) Pages: 22-26
Date Published
1995
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Recent incidents of police misconduct and corruption have increased public concern over police ethical behavior and police agency accountability and have demonstrated the need for police ethics training.
Abstract
To balance the need for police officer discretion and flexibility with public safety and accountability, ethics training should become an integral part of police academy and inservice training for both new and experienced police officers. With the increase in police misconduct claims and the advent of community policing, police executives need to manage through values rather than merely adopt new policies and procedures. The management through values technique is based on the premise that policing styles reflect a police department's values; in turn, these values influence police officer actions. Thus, organizational values become important management tools for police executives who want to encourage superior police officer performance. Implementing the management through values strategy emphasizes professional ethical standards throughout the law enforcement organization. The Huntsville, Alabama, Police Department has designed and implemented a three-tiered police ethics training program. The three tiers focus on recruit training, inservice training, and police supervisory training. The Huntsville ethics training program gives participants the opportunity to reflect on and discuss important issues with other police professionals. 7 endnotes