NCJ Number
162194
Journal
Gazette Volume: 58 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1996) Pages: 16-19
Date Published
1996
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the need to develop police ethics and reduce office politics to a minimum.
Abstract
In the police service, like other forms of governmental organizations, one of the most frequent complaints concerns office politics, which can make the working environment unpleasant, negatively influence productivity, reduce team spirit in the service, and cause problems of interpersonal friction leading to low morale. The internal dimensions of police ethics can be related to three problem areas: (1) taking measures to undermine the credibility of another police officer, whether this action is within or outside of the police service; (2) the intentional manipulation of information to distort facts for the express purpose of controlling the behavior of another police officer or public official; and (3) the promulgation and implementation of a policy by a police official that will purposely undermine the policy intentions of a higher authority. Developing police ethics and reducing office politics could begin with the selection of a framework to assist in making police responsive to the demands of the structure of authority with which they are to act. In a democratic society, police ethics need to find their place within the values that provide the foundation for society.