Police Ethics Case Study

This study is about the former East Haven police officer Dennis Spaulding, 30, who was imprisoned for violating ethical law enforcement behaviors such as unethical practices against police procedures in his practice. It examines and involves the audiences in the understanding that law enforcement demands a high degree of ethical standard compared to other careers. The society expects the police officers to act with dignity and integrity while executing their services. Some scholars say that the police officers live in a fishbowl, which means that their characters remain under check whether on duty or not. The public scrutinizes their activities more than other professionals do, which means that they have to exhibit the high level of ethical …show more content…
People often use the terms ethics and values interchangeably, but it is important to note that they vary significantly in law enforcement. The Police Ethics Discussion is that a strong push exists to understand the differences between values and ethics in the law enforcement community, which is sought to ensure that the practitioners uphold stronger ethical standards. To begin with, values refer to behaviors, ideas and actions that are important to the members of the society and dignify others. The values influence the levels of decision-making processes and influence where emphasis is placed in terms of professional and personal growths. The police values are relevant in ensuring that the law enforcement fetches the public trust and confidence. The law requires that the law enforcement practices maintain high levels of integrity, honesty, justice and impartiality. Any police officer who fails to uphold these values breaches his or her professional codes of behavior and should be …show more content…
Some of the methods are already in place to ensure that people like Spaulding are punished and discouraged from acting in that same manner again. One of them is creating a code of conduct that guides the law enforcement activities. Secondly, the consequences should be reinforced by ensuring that every police officer is accountable for his or her activities. There should also be frequent trainings and talks about ethical standards in service dispensation. This would remind the officers to be more on the lookout to ensure that they do not violate the ethical principles expected of them. Finally, there should be checks and balances that put controls in place to govern their practices. This ensures that opportunities for acting an ethically is