Sometimes the mere mention of the topic of ethics is enough to elicit eyerolling and yawning among seasoned law enforcement officers. For many, it was a boring four-hour block of instruction in the academy and still receives the obligatory sigh when mentioned in continuing education courses. While ethics may not be sexy, it is an important subject worth discussing.

What is ethics? The Oxford dictionary defines it as moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity. In other words, ethics are the framework of a person’s integrity. 

The vast majority of law enforcement officers in this country are ethical. However, at some point in our careers, many of us have had at least one lapse in ethical behavior. This doesn’t immediately paint us as unethical for a one-time incident. Provided it wasn’t criminal in nature, it can be chalked up to a lesson we’ve learned and moved on from to become a better police officer. Unfortunately, for some, it may have been the gateway to a series of activities for which the consequences won’t be pleasant when they arrive.

Ethical dilemmas are not unique to police work; they can present themselves in any profession. Nevertheless, in the world of law enforcement the standards are high and the aftermath of violating ethical boundaries can be severe. Each day, police officers will face any number of ethical dilemmas. Some of them are arguably unethical, such as ignoring blatant traffic violations, while others are unmistakably unethical and illegal, like accepting a cash bribe during a traffic stop. It’s not a matter of if an ethical dilemma will present itself in an officer’s career, it’s a matter of when and how often.

So, what determines a person’s ethical parameters? Is ethical behavior developed through experiences and nurturing, or is one born with a particular set of virtues? Ethical behavior, like many aspects of someone’s life, is based on influences. There are three primary elements that can influence an officer’s integrity: personal
factors, organizational factors and social factors.

Personal factors

Personal factors are a broad spectrum of items, ranging from a person’s preformed morals to one’s susceptibility to peer influence. If an officer does not possess a strong moral character when they enter police work, they are far less likely to adhere to any kind of ethical restrictions as their time on the force goes on. Taking that a step further, any weakness in their morality can be breached by peer pressure. We’ve all met fellow officers we know have a tremendous amount of integrity: They are honest to a fault, admit and accept their failings, and will not tolerate unlawful or unethical behavior from themselves or fellow officers. Most of us have also known people we wouldn’t trust in even the most banal situations. 

Our personal lives, beliefs and behavior have a huge impact on our integrity. Other issues that can influence an officer include substance abuse, relationship problems, financial difficulties and a general lack of accountability. Certainly, all of us have our respective personal problems, but most of us find ways to cope with them in rational, ethical and moral ways. Ultimately, being ethical is a personal choice.

Organizational factors

The culture of the department, primarily directed by the chief executive officer and trickling down to first-line supervisors, can have a huge effect on the troops. Some issues that may come into play include policies and procedures, training, departmental values and the evenhandedness of the disciplinary process. An officer is a product of the culture in which they work. A new officer with no predisposed criminal mindset will develop their foundational integrity based on what they see going on around them and their fellow officers. 

If a department exudes a carefree attitude, its employees are far more likely to take inappropriate actions and may make decisions that do not serve the community but tend to fulfill personal whims. An apathetic supervisor who does not actively condemn unethical behavior when they see it is no better than one who condones it. The culture of your department will have a huge impact on the behavior of department
members. A bad culture will nurture bad officers, while a culture of integrity will help in maintaining officers at a higher standard of ethical behavior.

Social factors

Societal factors are the external influences such as the media, politics, community demands and organizations. There is something to be said about being under a certain level of scrutiny by the community and the media. While it can be overdone and may seem smothering at times, a modicum of it often keeps officers more cautious of their actions. These influences may affect an officer’s perception as to how appropriate an activity may or may not be. 

The morality of a society waxes and wanes to some degree (think about drugs — for many decades all drugs were illegal, and now there are some states that have legalized nearly all of them), but generally it doesn’t sway too far for those held to a higher standard. If we were to view the hiring standards of major law enforcement agencies 30 years ago and compare them to the requirements for the same departments today, we would find that many things (prominent tattoos, prior drug use, past affiliations, minor criminal convictions, etc.) have been reduced in importance and aren’t automatic disqualifiers. It would be an excellent debate as to whether reducing hiring standards is a wise move in the long run.

The slippery slope

While absolute corruption is fairly rare, our chosen career field has had its share of brothers and sisters who failed the integrity test. Is corruption a department issue or an individual matter? Unfortunately, we’ve seen some large-scale departmental corruption in the past. However, it’s not likely for an entire police agency to be corrupt. Typically, it’s a few individuals, or perhaps a given unit within a department, but not really plausible to be department-wide. Let’s take a look at the slippery slope: entitlement, omitted acts and corruption.

Entitlement

This attitude is generally the first step in the process. This is when an officer feels they should receive special treatment and may believe they are exempt from legal and moral restraints because of their position. Examples include demanding free or discounted food at local restaurants, or perhaps expecting comp tickets to community events, area attractions, etc. Many would say demanding professional courtesy fits into this category. This could very well set the foundation for corrupt behavior down the line.

Omitted acts

An act of omission is when an officer willfully fails to do something and rationalizes a particular task, duty or obligation as not their responsibility. This may start as complacency in day-to-day tasks, but can quickly escalate to purposely failing to act in an ethical manner. An example includes willfully failing to document items of evidence.

Corruption

Corruption is outright unethical and/or unlawful actions. This can be further divided into two subcategories: administrative and criminal. Administrative corruption includes violating policies or procedures. Criminal corruption is unlawful actions. These are the types of activities that make headlines and can result in incarceration.

Conclusion

Officers will face ethical dilemmas throughout their careers. How the officer responds makes the difference. Making an ethical error doesn’t necessarily make an officer unethical, but if they fail to take steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again, they may be headed down the road to ruin. As ethical officers, we are each obligated to not only keep ourselves in check, but also make sure our fellow officers stay in line. As we’ve seen too many times in the overly generalizing headlines in recent years, when one of us messes up, we all get the black eye.