The first scenario I will talk about is scenario four. It is very wrong that my superior is taking advantage of the police power that we have beats up this man as much as he does not respond nicely to us. His response was not worth an arrest and therefore in my accordance this is misuse of power. From the description given, the man might be a homeless person he seems normal but that does not make him normal. A nice approach to him would have been nice and this is what I will tell my superior. The Department of Justice of the Unites States describes the integrity of police as the ability of a police officer to resist any form of temptation leading to the abuse of privileges and rights in this occupation (Kutnjak p. 470). Therefore, this approach was very unprofessional. It has been stated that a professional officer would never participate in physical abuse of an individual no matter the situation.
In scenario 8, the officer is withholding evidence from three nights ago. This is very wrong as he explains that it is half of what he took from a crime scene the previous night. This can only mean that he took half to the evidence room and kept the other half which is not ethical at all. Ethical behavior entails following of rules to the latter which this officer did not do and instead kept some of the evidence for whatever reasons that he had. It is considered very unethical for an officer to take evidence and keep it or falsify any report. I would ask him why he kept half of the evidence instead of taking it all to the evidence room and listen to his reasons. Afterwards, I would ask him nicely to take it to the respective place and tell him if he did not then I will have no choice but to report my findings. In scenario 6, the suspect spits on the officers face and this is extremely wrong and disrespectful. This does not justify the officer’s actions of grabbing the suspect by hair and jerking his face. The suspect has already been taken into custody and he is going to face the law he disrespects the police but this can be added in the report that will be written. It is very unprofessional for this officer to beat up this suspect considering he can add the suspect’s actions to the report and the law can decide his fate. I would tell the office that what he did was very unnecessary and is considered as the misuse of power as this individual is already being taken in and the charges can be added to the list so the law can deal with him.
In scenario 1, it is totally wrong that these officers have come to this restaurant, eaten and left without paying a single cent. Their excuse is that the community appreciates their hard work. These officers get paid for the work they do and so they should not in any case misuse hardworking members of the society to justify their behavior. This act can be considered as a deviant action. It is in violation of Code of Ethics as it involves rewards that are finances to police officers (Hurberts et al p. 590). This can also be defined as corruption as the officer is in a very compromising position and this makes the expectation of favors in the coming days. I would tell the officers to not take the kindness of the hardworking individuals and pay for their coffee or even leave a tip for their services. I would explain further that it is their role as officers to protect the neighborhood and they should not expect rewards from the people around. In scenario number 2, the cop smells of alcohol and even carries it to work which is against the work ethics. It is very wrong, unethical and very unprofessional to be on the influence of a substance during work. Drinking after work and at the comfort of one’s home is allowed but at work one should try be sober almost all the time.
It is expected of us as police officers to show moral behaviors at all times and lead by examples to the society (Lerner p16). Therefore, it is not at any cost expected of us to be drunk in times of work. The ethics of an officer are always questioned in times of decision making and I know for sure that it is very hard for a drunken officer to make the right judgments at all time. In this case, I will talk more to this cop and ask him to stop drinking and carrying his alcohol around during work hours as we should always lead by example and be sober at work. I will then take his word when he says he will do something about it and give him a chance to change this behavior. I will give him a fair warning that if he does not stop drinking and carrying his alcohol during work, I will have no choice but to report his case to the supervisor.
Works cited
Huberts, Leo WJC, Muel Kaptein, and Karin Lasthuizen. “A study of the impact of three leadership styles on integrity violations committed by police officers.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management 30.4 (2007): 587-607.
Kutnjak Ivković, Sanja. “The Croatian police, police integrity, and transition toward democratic policing.” Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management 32.3 (2009): 459-488.
Lerner, Melvin J. “The belief in a just world.” The Belief in a just World. Springer, Boston, MA, 1980. 9-30.
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