Good Cop, Bad Cop: Ethics and Character in the Field of Law Enforcement - Essay Example

?Good Cop, Bad Cop: Ethics and Character in the Field of Law Enforcement The issue of ethics in the field of law enforcement has become much talked about in these modern times. There always are tensions between meeting the requirements of law and order and securing the safety of the community, as well as ensuring that human rights are upheld and due process is maintained as a cornerstone of a democratic society. The challenges of balancing these interests become more and more complex and they often fall on the shoulders of our law enforcers who make sure that criminals are apprehended and punished, whilst at the same time live by settled human rights principles. This controversial issue was at the center of interviews conducted with Nancy Mulroy and Nicolas Caez, who are both with the Public Affairs section of the Hartford Police Department. The importance of ethics and character in the field of law enforcement Both Mulroy and Caez stated that ethics is indeed very important in the field of law enforcement. Caez emphasized a police officer’s job to be a role model of society, a responsibility that becomes even more challenging considering that “you are sometimes put into situations where you are the ultimate decision maker.” Mulroy echoes Caez’s sentiments and expounds on it, “It is pretty much self explanatory, law enforcement officials are supposed to enforce law and therefore if they don’t respect the law themselves, they don’t have an authority to enforce law. If you are a law enforcement official and don’t know the difference between right and wrong, you will always make mistakes. Most of the times we are stuck in situations where taking a decision is very difficult, it’s like a dilemma. Firm belief and knowledge of law can help you take the righteous decision and not get biased.” She further describes how ethics is an integral part of the job of the police officer. “You are a public official entrusted to enforce the law. Being ethical and of good character are an innate component of the job. You just can't do the job effectively without them. It's like you shouldn't be a doctor if you don't believe in the Oath.” She then acknowledges the temptations that confront law enforcement officers. “As an officer you are put in many situations which one could easily take advantage of. It is important to have officers who can resist temptation and do what is best for the whole society and not just for oneself.” The Police Officer of today: more ethical than the police officer of yesterday? Both interviewees suggest that there was an improvement in the police force and attribute this to two factors: a stricter recruitment process and more training in the field of ethics and character building. According to Mulroy, she does not want to answer on the behalf of other departments but she said she thinks that the process of recruitment has become stricter over the years and thus, the police today is more efficient and more ethical than it was 10 years ago. She believes that improvement and learning is an ongoing process and the department has learned from its previous mistakes and has become better over the years. “What I can say is that over the years, I've noticed a stricter standard in hiring practices to get the best possible candidates.” She is careful to say however that “ethics are left to each individual and cannot be generalized.” Caez seconds Mulroy’s statement on training improvement and suggests that character and ethical responsibility have become an integral part of the training of the police officers of today, not simply the rudimentary techniques and scientific aspects of police work. “The training procedures have been improved and more practical training has been brought that enables the candidates to understand the importance of the responsibility they will be getting. The focus of the training is to understand that you are a public servant and with great power comes great responsibility. The “Bad Apples”: Police Officers who get involved in misconduct Caez cites lack of motivation and appreciation as the major reason behind police misconduct. He opines, “They become involved in misconduct because sometimes they get demoralized by serving the people and getting no appreciation in return from them. People should be co operative towards the police officials and appreciate them for the work they do to make the society better.” On the other hand, according to Mulroy, this is a tough question to answer as she thinks there can be a lot of ways of being involved in misconduct -- starting from letting someone who you personally know bypass the law and ending with taking some drug money from a drug dealer. She thinks that a factor might be the meager pay received by police officers that does not compensate the huge responsibilities that fall upon their shoulders. She then proceeds to enumerate some of the reasons why police officers commit misconduct. “Police may become involved in misconduct for several reasons. Low pay and the high costs of living in a big city may allow for officers with no integrity to take advantage of certain situations placed in front of them. Also, I feel that it is possible for an officer to become so exposed to the negative side of society so often that they "do not see any harm in taking a little drug money from a drug dealer." And finally, one may be placed between a rock and hard spot. If the corruption is at the top, ie chief, some may not be strong enough to stand up to the misconduct(which, in my opinion, makes them a part of it) for fear of losing their job and not being able to support their family.” Assessment of ethics training currently offered Both Mulroy and Caez feel that the ethics training provided to them in the police academy is sufficient. “ Yes, the training provided to us is quite sufficient and focused on handling ethical dilemmas. We do a lot of case studies which helps us in dealing with problems practically,” says Mulroy. Caez thinks that if the person hired is sincere and of good character, then a half the battle has been won. “The training provided to us is more than enough for a prudent person to understand the responsibilities. The department only hires people who are keen to serve the society and one who is not sincere will never pass the training.” An interesting point was made by Mulroy, who intimated that perhaps the ethics training may in fact have gone overboard. “I feel that there is too much ethics training in academy. In my opinion I feel that you are either an ethical person or you are not. I truly believe that an eight hour block of ethics training at the beginning of a 700+ hour police academy is a joke.” Ethics training as an ongoing process? Caez says refresher training programs are already offered every now and then and he thinks it’s a good practice as it reminds us all of our duties. Mulroy opines that whilst regular trainings should be conducted for police officers who are already doing duty, the more important thing should be recruiting the right people for the job. In this sense, she reiterates her position that a person is either an ethical person or not. “Being ethical is who you are, you’re not going to teach someone to be ethical. They either are or their not,” she said emphatically. Ethics training as a means to reduce corruption Caez thinks that corruption can never become 0% in any department, however, what can be done is it can be reduced by keeping a strict eye on the officials which the department already does. He further adds that after a certain level the basic ethics training becomes monotonous and other activities like annual evaluations and studying scenarios can definitely help reduce the corruption. Also, he feels that the officers who go out of the way to serve the county should be equally rewarded and appreciated so that they can set an example for other officers. This was seconded by Mulroy, who shared, “99% of police officers are ethical people, extra training will not change the 1% police who become criminals. Corruption occurs in all careers. For example, a CEO of a company has the opportunity to steal money and make corrupt stock transactions. Kenneth Lay is a perfect example. Corruption can occur anywhere and it is only overpublicized in law enforcement.” The reference, of course, is to the widely-reported scandal involving Enron Corporation. Conclusion and synthesis In sum, both Caez and Mulroy both say that ethics and character are very important assets of a police officer, and that they are necessary aspects of the job of law enforcement. They also stated that because of the nature of the job of cops (finding themselves as the primary decision-maker in a situation where quick decisions are needed, being exposed to temptations, settling for meager pay), ethics and character are of absolute necessity. Based on their interviews, however, the idea that surfaced is that ethics and character cannot be taught, they must be within the individual. As they both put it, “either you are ethical or you are not”. The policy implication of this is that a rigorous recruitment process might be of more value to the police force than increasing the frequency of trainings on character-building and ethics. Another issue that surfaced is the under-appreciation that cops get from the wider society that they serve. This should be a cue to the state: there is much to be gained from treating our police officers in a manner that they deserve and to show them the appreciation of a grateful nation whose security and safety they guard day by day. Interviewees: Nancy Mulroy, Public Affairs, Hartford Police Department - Email: nmulroy@hartford.gov Nicolas Caez, Public Affairs, Hartford Police Department – Email: caezn001@hartford.gov Read More