Right Behaviour among the Law Enforcement - Research Paper Example

Introduction The propensity of unethical behaviour among the law enforcement officers reached its toll in the 20th century in the United States (Geach & Monaghan, 2012). Many cases of unethical conduct among the officers in working within the communities involve excessive use of power and corrupt cases. The question on the application of ethics and the principles of right behaviour among the law enforcement officers has raised reasonable concern. In response to this trend, individuals and organisations have made recommendations for the inclusion of integrity training and education to address the problem. Ethical decision-making was to be treated as an essential area of concern among the local law and security enforcement agencies. One would be left to ask a number of questions that may lack a readymade answer. Why do law enforcement officers and security personnel engage in the unethical behaviour? What is the role of ethical decision making in addressing the vices of corruption and abuse of power among the police force? Is there a relationship between training and behaviour? What perception do the communities hold toward the conduct of law enforcement officers? These and many other frequently asked questions require answers that may only come along through a detailed study of the subject matter. Corruption, abuse of power, assault of women and other vulnerable groups during times of calamities have been manifest features of almost every law enforcing agency in the world. The security and other law enforcing groups have severally been reported to have used more force on the ordinary people than stipulated in the law (Caldero, Crank & Crank, 2014). The result of the tainted name of the law enforcement officers has been the fear and resentment by the communities that have fallen victims of circumstances in this regard. One would wonder the ethical picture manifested when ordinary people express their distrust and lack of confidence in a group that should perform a role that is paramount to peaceful human existence. Is it because of lack of proper training on the ethical standards and codes of moral conduct in the course of discharging their duties or is it a culture that has gradually made its roots in the system? Corrective measures are urgently needed to redeem the tainted reputation and public image of the law enforcement and security agencies. Problem The problem that has been identified is an increase of activity in unethical decision making by law enforcement officers on duty while serving within designated communities protecting the citizens. According to the New York Times, the police in the New Orleans were convicted in a court of law for taking a $1000 from cocaine dealers (The New York Times, 2013). In 2013, a female police officer pleaded guilty of receiving cash bribes from a man she knew to be a drug trafficker. In 2011, eight from the New York Police Department were convicted on gun trafficking charges and conspiracy with criminals. If this problem is not rectified, some members of society, will no longer trust the law enforcement officers who are entrusted to protect them from harm and danger. Unethical decisions are the result of a combination of factors that interact simultaneously a wrong decision easier to choose (Geach & Monaghan, 2012). If the law enforcement organization ignore this problem, it may cause society to question police officers. Background Information Ethics is about what is right or what is wrong. It defines what constitutes a good or bad human behaviour. The behaviour is benchmarked against the set moral codes of conduct of the society. The requirements of professional ethics, the religious beliefs and the provisions of law qualify an act as either ethical or unethical (Williams & Arrigo, 2008). People's behaviour and the causes of such action to a great extent requires the knowledge of psychologists to explain. In an effort to exclusively address the subject matter of this valuable discussion, one should define what constitutes unethical behaviour in law enforcement. Ethics is an everyday life issue. It does not only apply to people in duty but also represents human actions when off duty. It all begins in a very noble way but toward devastating effects at the end. Unethical behaviour among the law enforcement officers occurs from absconding of duty, harassing of people to the ill-treating of suspects. Torture and violence, late reporting to work, unprofessional execution of duties to acts of greater proportion such as bribery, corruption and abuse of power fit in the category. The net effect of these unethical issues in law enforcement is the perversion of justice that results to unwarranted human suffering. Unethical behaviour among the law enforcement agents only refers to the lack of integrity in their conduct. These agents have been described by both the aged and young as being brutal, ruthless, inhuman and corrupt beings (Desai, 2013). Such a description significantly exposes the gap between law enforcement officers and ethics. Every result of a human action must have been preceded by a decision to take or not to take the action. Many are the times when people make decisions beyond their normal jurisdiction of power depending on the prevailing circumstance. Law enforcement agents have a discretion to make individual decisions in particular situations according to the laid down procedures. However, human decisions are greatly influenced by the common sense that draws from the human conscience whether an action is right or wrong. These and the many other issues that may not manifest in this discussion appeal to ethical decision making within the law enforcement organization. As revealed by the New York Times, recent cases have raised questions about the ethical behaviour as practised within the police force in US. These include the February 1999 incidence where the New York police fired forty-one bullets at Amadou Diallo, who was unarmed. The incidence revealed the abuse of power and unprofessionalism. In 1988, officers from the New Orleans were convicted in a court of law for one hundred thousand dollars bribes from cocaine dealers. Law enforcement officers in major states have publicly been confronted with unethical behaviour that includes the discrimination of the Black Americans and ill-treatment of minors other vulnerable groups. Purpose of the Research This study aims at providing possible solutions and answers to the subject of unethical police conducts that gained momentum in the recent past. The research purposes to analyse the inappropriate, unethical behaviour among the law enforcement officers critically by looking into their possible causes (Ojedokun, 2010). The research would then proceed to suggest practical solutions of inculcating ethics into the decisions made and actions taken by the law enforcement agents. The primary focus of the study is to establish ways that can remedy the problem of unethical behaviour among the law enforcement agents when executing their duties to the communities. Methodology Research Design A Qualitative Research Design will be used in this particular study. The research study will use purely secondary data collected from previous studies the law enforcement officers. The choice of this research approach has been necessitated by the nature of the research and the vast availability of secondary data on the subject matter of the study. The study will rely on the collected data to analyse the unethical behaviour portrayed by the law enforcement officers when working within the communities. Discussions, Conclusions and recommendations related to the findings of this research would be made and submitted to the relevant institutions for service improvement (Wilson, Walsh & Kleuber, 2008). Sources of Data and Data Collection Methods Secondary data on the subject of study has been found to be readily available from several sources that the researcher found reliable. Data will be collected from the published printed sources, the published electronic sources, government records and the private sector records on the topic of ethics in law enforcement. The data will be collected through reading all relevant materials and then compile it for analysis. To ensure the validity of the secondary data collected, the researcher will review the consistency of the data (Geach & Monaghan, 2012). The most recent trends and data sources will be preferred to maintain the reliability and relevance of data on the subject matter of study. Methods of Data Analysis The collected data will be analysed using qualitative research techniques. The secondary data obtained will be cleaned and thoroughly inspected to ensure that useful information is obtained to support the conclusions and recommendations that will be reached (Williams & Arrigo, 2008). Qualitative data analysis was found to be the most suitable method for this particular study in conformance to the requirements by the faculty. The approach will give the researcher an opportunity to re-contextualise and reconstruct the available data and body of knowledge on the subject of study. References Geach, N., & Monaghan, C. (2012). Dissenting judgments in the law. London: Wildy, Simmonds & Hill Pub. The New York Times (2013). Police in Crime, p. 4. Williams, C., & Arrigo, B. (2008). Ethics, crime, and criminal justice. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson Prentice Hall. Caldero, M., Crank, J., & Crank, J. (2014). Police ethics. London: Routledge, Taylor and Francis. Desai, K. (2013). Ethical Decision Making Within the Bureaucratic Context: A Case Study. Care Management Journals, 4(3), 122-128. doi:10.1891/cmaj.4.3.122.57520 Ojedokun, O. (2010). Effort-reward imbalance and attitude towards unethical work behaviour among police personnel: emotional intelligence as a moderator. IFE Psychologia, 18(1). doi:10.4314/ifep.v18i1.51658 McNichols, C., & Zimmerer, T. (1985). Situational Ethics: an Empirical Study of Differentiators of Student Attitudes. Journal of Business Ethics, 4: 175-180. Wilson, D., Walsh, W., & Kleuber, S. (2008). Trafficking in Human Beings: Training and Services among US Law Enforcement Agencies. Police Practice And Research, 7(2), 149-160. Read More