The Importance Of The Blue Wall Of Silence

When individuals enter the law enforcement field, they swear under oath to always serve and protect and uphold the law. Given the sensitive nature of the position, officers have a moral obligation to act responsibly, legally, and ethically. Therefore, a code of ethics is established to provide guidance and a set of moral principles to strive to live up to that oath with integrity in accordance with the high level of standards that comes with professional policing. These standards require officer’s to perform their duties with confidence and have self-awareness to establish exemplary behavior in both their professional and personal lives to always do what is right. When they do not behave accordingly, it diminishes public trust and can bring about unwanted liability and dishonor to themselves and the agency. …show more content…
67). Since subcultures tend to adopt and share common views and rules as those they work with, it can have a devastating effect if the subculture conforms to what is called the blue wall of silence. The blue wall of silence is an unwritten rule among officers that encompasses a culture of solidarity and discourages reporting fellow officers for unethical behavior. Unethical behavior can take in lying, disrespect, discrimination, and several other abusive tendencies that do not align with the department’s policies and