Ethical standards in police work are stressed upon new officers from the first day on the job. Police departments have several ways to encourage ethics among their recruits because they are a necessary part of life. First and foremost is the oath of office that officers take. In the article by Timothy Roufa in Ethics in Law Enforcement and Policing, maintain that “[w]hen officers fail to do what is right, and especially when they do what is clearly and blatantly wrong, they erode the public trust just a little more and further degrade law enforcement's ability to work within the community and carry out its mission” (Roufa). The essence of the argument is that ethics are important because they act as a mediator when dealing with certain situations
