Off-duty in the United States
“Every officer knows or at least should know by now that they live in a fishbowl” (Roufa). This is a fishbowl that anyone can peer at to cast judgment at any given time. Society is ruled by universal ideals such as honesty, integrity, sympathy, compassion, and justice (Roufa). Police officers need to embody these ideas to serve their precinct. Now, what happens when those tasked with upholding these ideals are above reproach? An imbalance of society occurs resulting in many things, ultimately an abuse of civil rights. Off-duty police officers in America have different rights than normal civilians because they are held to a higher standard to uphold civilian laws, can evade charges, can engage in off-duty police confrontations, and have specific rules and regulations for criminal investigations.
Off-duty police officers are looked to for holding a higher standard for the civilian law than the average citizen. Officers act by an unspoken rule when they are off-duty. People look at the officers to “uphold integrity, discipline, and ethics in their private life.” The officers are a direct reflection of their police department’s public image …show more content…
When officers are acting for the whole of their department there are some tests that they can run through before a situation gets out of hand. The media test is one question, "How would I feel if my decision made the front page tomorrow?" If an officer can answer this then it reminds them that the perception of their actions becomes reality. Another test that can be run through is the gut test. This test relies on personal founding principles of good and bad (Roufa). These simple tests identify the officers' society wants to have to protect everyone because they are more skillful. While relying on ethics and moral integrity is sound in theory, in actuality there are grey areas that allow one group to become
“Every officer knows or at least should know by now that they live in a fishbowl” (Roufa). This is a fishbowl that anyone can peer at to cast judgment at any given time. Society is ruled by universal ideals such as honesty, integrity, sympathy, compassion, and justice (Roufa). Police officers need to embody these ideas to serve their precinct. Now, what happens when those tasked with upholding these ideals are above reproach? An imbalance of society occurs resulting in many things, ultimately an abuse of civil rights. Off-duty police officers in America have different rights than normal civilians because they are held to a higher standard to uphold civilian laws, can evade charges, can engage in off-duty police confrontations, and have specific rules and regulations for criminal investigations.
Off-duty police officers are looked to for holding a higher standard for the civilian law than the average citizen. Officers act by an unspoken rule when they are off-duty. People look at the officers to “uphold integrity, discipline, and ethics in their private life.” The officers are a direct reflection of their police department’s public image …show more content…
When officers are acting for the whole of their department there are some tests that they can run through before a situation gets out of hand. The media test is one question, "How would I feel if my decision made the front page tomorrow?" If an officer can answer this then it reminds them that the perception of their actions becomes reality. Another test that can be run through is the gut test. This test relies on personal founding principles of good and bad (Roufa). These simple tests identify the officers' society wants to have to protect everyone because they are more skillful. While relying on ethics and moral integrity is sound in theory, in actuality there are grey areas that allow one group to become