Ethics In Law Enforcement Democratic government can function

Ethics In Law Enforcement

Democratic government can function properly only when the citizenry has confidence in how its government is run. Public trust is built largely upon the perceptions that citizens have regarding their City employees, City Council members, and members of City boards, commissions and committees. The Continuum of Compromise & Ethics

Once public confidence is destroyed, it is difficult to re-establish. As a result, a public agency may not be able to function effectively. Moreover, individual careers or reputations may be irreparably damaged. Hence it is imperative for you to foster the highest standards of personal integrity and honesty in discharging your public duties.

Video; Kindness Example http: //www. azfamily. com/video/raw/RAWSurveillance-video-from-an-arrest-Chrisman-madein-2005 -104979259. html

Ask Everyone Just To Keep An Open Mind Concerning Ethics Training

PEACE OFFICER CODE OF ETHICS I will exercise self-restraint and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land loyal to the state of Arizona and my agency and its objectives and regulations. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept secure unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty. I will never take selfish advantage of my position and will not allow my personal feelings, animosities or friendships to influence my actions or decisions. I will exercise the authority of my office to the best of my ability, with courtesy and vigilance, and without favor, malice, ill will, or compromise. I am a servant of the people and I recognize my position as a symbol of public faith. I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the law and serve the people of Arizona. CERTIFICATION: I hereby certify that I have read the above Code of Ethics and agree to abide by it. SIGNATURE OF

What is Ethics? Ethics defined is: A moral philosophy or moral science which studies the principles of right or wrong in human conduct.

What are Values? Values defined: Beliefs upon which our actions and decisions are made.

What is Integrity? Rigid adherence to a code of values Derived from the word “wholeness” Having character which develops hope, honesty, courage, empathy, etc. What gives us good character?

Character is: Our base for… ‘ethical decision making’

Three A’s of Ethics; Personally & Organizationally Accountability Awareness Authenticity

Accountability Our Law enforcement profession is less tolerant of immoral/unethical behavior. “But Sgt. how could you do this to me after all the great things that I have done for this organization”. Get away from society’s “victim” mentality. Generation “X” is of real concern Our Employees are accountable for their actions and behavior 24/7; we must explain that to them…

Awareness We must be real and genuine in their character. The ability to do the right thing when no one is watching. Repeated acts of good character will form your habits. “Daily acts of kindness” !

Courage As a law enforcement employee, there will be a far greater number of instances where we will need to demonstrate your “moral courage”, rather than your physical courage.

Duty “The hardest calls we make are sometimes the clearest. The difficulty they pose is not in figuring out what is right, but in doing it. ” Amy Schwartz, Washington Post

Duty: In Crisis We Know Our Job Very Well How About in Daily Contacts “Politeness”

Organization Courage “The Courage to confront, the Courage to Communicate”.

Organization Courage Organization courage: “is the assertive acting out of a belief or principle than staying the course”. Organization courage: “is acting with fear, not without it, it’s doing the right thing when your stomach is in knots, when adrenaline is forcing you to act boldly. ”

Organization Courage It is frequently a selfless act, sacrificing the best in the safety of oneself for the greater good, sometimes paying a hefty price for the process”.

Transition Let’s Examine Human Behavior Now…

Do Our People Feel Like This… 21

We Hope That This Is Not Our Flowchart For Problem Solving NO YES Is It Working? Don’t Mess With It! YES Did You Mess With It? YOU IDIOT! NO Anyone Else Knows? NO Hide It YES You’re. Toasted! NO Can You Blame Someone Else? YES Will it Blow Up In Your Hands? NO Look The Other Way Yes NO PROBLEM! 22

Where Is Your Perceptive Are You Locked In To One Style & Will Not Budge Visual Illusion Exercise 23 This is bizarre – Find the male in these beans after you find the guy – it's so obvious. Once you find him – it's embarrassing, and you think, why didn't I see him immediately? 23 11/29/2020

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Perceptional; EYE TEST Count every "F" in the following text: FINISHED FILES ARE THE RE SULT OF YEARS OF SCIENTIFIC STUDY COMBINED WITH THE EXPERIENCE OF YEARS. . . HOW MANY ? 2511/29/2020

. . . . 3 ? WRONG, THERE ARE 6 – READ IT AGAIN ! the reasoning behind is further down. The brain cannot process "OF". Incredible or what? Go back and look again!! Anyone who counts all 6 "F's" on the first go is a genius. Three is normal, four is quite rare. What’s the Point; Slow Down & Don’t Be Locked Into Your Perceptions 26 26

Leadership is a matter of having people look at you and gain confidence, seeing how you react. If you’re in control, they are in control Tom Landy The same thing happens with Ethics instruction… 27 27 11/29/2020

Are we as supervisors held to a higher standard?

Why Study Ethics? y LIES Ethics Ho t s ne

Community Policing effect on Ethics Peel’s Principles of Policing “…the police are the public and the public are the police; the police are the only members of the public who are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen in the interest of community welfare. ” Sir Robert Peel, 1829

Who is the Community? Youth Police Business People of Color Elderly

Public Law enforcement’s Trust authority derives from the consent of the citizenry who has granted law enforcement its authority over them. We Must Remember This Basic Concept

Establishing Public Trust What overall bond do the law enforcement agencies and community share? “Trust”

Codes of Ethics Typically, there are two types of professional codes of ethics: Aspirational Codes: codes that aim to promote certain professional ideals Regulatory Codes: set minimum acceptable standards.

AZPOST Codes of Ethics I will exercise self-restraint and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land loyal to the state of Arizona, my agency and its objectives and regulations. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature, or that is confided to me in my official capacity, will be kept secure unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty.

I AZPOST Codes of Ethics: Continued will never take selfish advantage of my position and will not allow my personal feelings, animosities, or friendships to influence my actions or decisions. I will exercise the authority of my office to the best of my ability, with courtesy and vigilance, without favor, malice or ill will, and without compromise. I am a servant to the people and recognize my position as a symbol of public faith. I accept it as a public trust to be held so long as I am true to the law and serve the people of Arizona.

Our Responsibility in Ethics Personal character A place in the universe

Organizational Universe As a starting point our employees & supervisors should know who our; Value Statement Mission Statement Vision Statement Essential in the creation of an ethical centered organizational culture

COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT Competing Departments CLIMATE Cooperating Departments Role Clarification Accountability Reporting Planning VALUES Resistance to Change Contract Cities City/County Elected Officials Human Resources Crime Analysis Decision-Making Management of Calls for Service Perceptions of Support from Outside Power and Control Community Organizations Trust Among Managers and Employees Political Groups Media Rewards GOALS Shift Assignments Level of Stress Openness to Input from Outside Communications Training Freedom to Exercise Discretion Citizens Department-wide Philosophy STRUCTURE Tolerance of Risk Taking Funding Government Agencies Business Community

The Ethical Universe Rules, Codes, Law Political Context Social Context Organizational Culture Individual Ethics

The Ethical Organization COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT Competing Departments CLIMATE Cooperating Departments Role Clarification Integrity Tolerance of Risk Taking Funding Government Agencies STRUCTURE Accountability Reporting GOALS VALUES Shift Assignments Level of Stress Contract Cities City/County Elected Officials Management of Calls for Service Planning Human Resources Perceptions of Support from Outside Power and Control Community Organizations Trust Among Managers and Employees Political Groups Media Rewards Crime Analysis Decision-Making Resistance to Change Openness to Input from Outside Communications Training Freedom to Exercise Discretion Citizens Department-wide Philosophy Business Community

Law Enforcement Culture is: the way we think the way our minds organizes information how we act our moral and social identities our “common sense” “what every fool sees” is the consequence of our shared thoughts, behaviors, beliefs, and values.

The Wisdom of History What follows are some of the ideas contained in the history of ethics from which we can benefit: Socrates

From The Ancient Greeks An ethical person is a person who has a certain kind of character. Being ethical is not only beneficial for others, but it is also beneficial to oneself.

From the Utilitarian The consequences of action are important in assessing its morality. In assessing the consequences, everyone matters and everyone matters equally.

Immanuel Kant 1724 -1804 A man of extremely regular habits, he spent his entire life in Konigsberg, Germany, and his entire career teaching at the university there.

Kant’s Ethics Kant tried to build his entire approach to ethics on two inter-related ideas: Consistency - acting always on the same principles you want others to act on, and Respect - treating other human beings as uniquely valuable ‘ends-in-themselves’ who should not be used or manipulated. These ideas are inter-related because a person who does not consistently act on principle is being disrespectful. He or she is saying, in effect, “I am more important than you, so I don’t have to follow the rules I think you should follow. ”

Kant’s Test for Right Actions Two steps: – – Ask yourself: What rule would I be following, if I did what I am thinking about doing? Then ask: Can I honestly say that I want everyone to follow that rule?

Kant’s Test for Right Actions This is very close to the commonsense ethical challenge: “What if everyone did that? ” Example: I am tempted to follow a policy of “looking out for number one” and refusing to help those who need my help. But if everyone followed that policy, then no one would help me when I needed help, and I can’t want that.

From Kant Consistency in action across similar circumstances is important to ethics. Adherence to principles we are willing to recommend to everyone (not knowing how they will affect us in particular) is central to ethic.

Law Enforcement & Kant What potential flaw can be seen in Kant’s theory when it is applied to law enforcement?

Job Related Issues Code of Silence Preferential Treatment Unfairness Professional Courtesy Reporting Unethical Behavior Favoritism Gender Bias Ignorance Pursuit of Power Misguided Loyalty Managerial Indifference Racism Racial Profiling Report Writing Professional Deception Corruption Stereotyping Acts of Omission

JOB RELATED ISSUES • Why is this issue important? • How does it affect the community? • How does a department benefit if it can eliminate these issues?

Introduction to Moral Development It’s not what you do, but more why you do what you do.

Six Stages of Moral Development Stages 1 / 2 = Egocentric / Self-Centered Stages Ethics is understood as obedience to authority; primary motivation is to avoid punishment. If you don’t obey laws and policies you could be disciplined by your agency, or even risk criminal prosecution. Ethics is understood in terms of personal needs and interests. “Whatever gets me what I want and need is right. ” I’m getting paid to obey orders and policies. (How could I use this situation to my own advantage? )

Stages of Moral Development Stages 3 / 4 = Social Conformity Stages Ethics is understood in terms of social approval. “What’s right is what makes others like me, accept me, respect me, think I’m a good person. ” I want to be accepted and respected by my fellow officers and the public; to be seen as a stand-up cop. Ethics is understood in terms of conformity to laws, rules, and official policies. Motivation isn’t fear of punishment, but respect for the system and the social order. Rules are rules; orders are orders.

Stages of Moral Development Stages 5 / 6 = Principled Stages Ethics are understood in terms of the deepest values and principles of one’s society. There exists universal ethical principles and rules that apply to all humans. Kohlberg considered the following individuals to be stage six people: Martin Luther King Jr. , Gandhi, and Jesus.

Decision-Making Tools ACT BELL, BOOK, CANDLE g n i STAKEHOLDER k n i h MODEL T l a c i t i r C ETHICS CHECK LIST CODES OF ETHICS

A. C. T. Model Alternatives - List optional responses to the ethical problem or dilemma. Consequences – Consider the probable consequences of each option. Tell the Story – Would you be comfortable “telling this story” to others? (news media, family, etc. )

Bell, Book & Candle Bell – Does the action that I am considering sound right? Book – Does this action violate any laws, rules, or policies? Candle – How will this action look to others when exposed to the ‘light of day’ (public scrutiny)?

The Ethics Check (Blanchard and Peale) Is this action LEGAL? Is this action BALANCED? How will this action make me MYSELF? FEEL ABOUT

Stakeholder Model Stakeholders are the people who could be affected by an action. 1. 2. 3. 4. List several optional responses to the ethical problem or dilemma. List the stakeholders who could be affected by each optional response. Consider how each stakeholder would likely be affected. (+, -, +!, -!) Choose the action that does the most good and the least harm to the stakeholders.

“The basis of effective government is public confidence, and confidence is endangered when ethical standards falter or appear to falter. ” President John F. Kennedy (1961)

Final Thoughts