NCJ Number
195401
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 69 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2002 Pages: 54-57
Date Published
May 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This article discusses certain initiatives that law enforcement agencies should pursue to instill the critical importance of value-based leadership and the proper role of the internal affairs unit in this process.
Abstract
"Integrity" is defined as "always doing the right thing whether someone is watching or not." Edwin Delattre, an ethicist who has written on law enforcement, has identified two types of defenses that officers use when they engage in serious misconduct. One is the "noble cause" defense, in which officers claim their actions were not self-serving, but rather were done to ensure that a person they believed to be guilty of a crime was convicted. A second defense is the "politician's" defense. Under this defense officers may claim they didn't commit the offense, that they did it believing it was the right thing to do, that they did it but were not treated fairly by the department, that other officers have done the same thing and not been disciplined, that they did it because of a mental problem and should receive treatment rather than punishment. Internal affairs investigators and high-ranking law enforcement personnel believe there has been a decline in the character of persons entering law enforcement. Whereas most of the officers with a military background (the typical officer from 10-15 years ago) adhered to military values and would generally follow rules and regulation, many current recruits challenge authority or do not have traditional values of discipline, respect, and integrity. This article suggests ways in which police chiefs can instill values in officers, as well as how internal affairs units can impact the cultural values and the core values of the department. Police chiefs can ensure the core values are incorporated into all training, that field training officers and supervisors are carefully selected to reflect the highest values of policing, and conduct thorough performance evaluations.