Essay On A Police Perspective: What Are Your Obligations?

Police officers, individuals, who are generally meant to better and protect our lives. But, at what cost. At what cost do police officers face in remaining genuine and in good heart in serving their country as a law enforcement officer?
An interesting question posed within the law enforcement community, reigns, solely within the circumstantial perspective of the obligations in which police officers must stand by while in the line of duty.
While in the line of duty, maintaining a sense of morals (at least in my opinion) are crucial and vital to the success of a law enforcement career. A sense of morals is important because while one’s actions are important, so, are the decisions in which they make while on duty. For example, witnessing another officer commit wrongdoing while on duty or even off duty – morals in place – it should still be reported to superiors.
Why is this important? I believe that any officer who knowingly takes an oath to protect and serve should hold his or herself to that oath whether that particular incident be big or small. Taking into account that some people, even in jobs as simple as retail, feel that it is “okay to do wrong if it’s small” it still isn’t. The oath that law enforcement officers take before being allowed to actually become an officer, should trump that thought, over anything.
Today, more often than not, that oath falls under scrutiny. Some officers take it upon themselves to do against it, others, flat out abuse it. While there are bad apples everywhere, I, believe that not everybody is bad.
In terms of witnessing something “small” by another officer, I believe, that it would be important to also confront that officer. If I were to ever witness such, and become an officer myself, I, would want to remain civil; honest, and trustworthy among my peers and colleagues.
I would want to remain this way, even, if it meant informing my superior of the important details of the incident and the extent in which I witnessed it. Whether or not circumstances of punishment are present by higher-ups, wouldn’t be my business, but at the end of the day I would know in my heart that I did right. Keeping something like this to myself, would, at some point or another, result in myself falling under suspicion if my superiors found out I had kept it from them, or lied to them about it
When reporting something to a superior, its, understandable why one could potentially fear doing so. One could potentially be seen as a rat; a tattle-tail, and even a loser, but that shouldn’t derail someone’s attempt to remain honest and forthright while in the line of duty.
With all the recent cases of police doing wrong; being dishonest, and acting against the oath they took – I – firmly stand by those beliefs. Officers in our country matter just like everybody else, and, we shouldn’t allow a few bad apples to determine the fate or the lives of others. The mistakes of other people, are not, on the hands; lives, or the backs of everybody.
Apart from remaining honest and maintaining a sense of responsibility, I, feel that informing my superior of wrongdoing on behalf of my colleagues – would – establish an even greater link of trust between myself and my superiors. At that point, my superior would know that he/she could definitively trust me whether it be in the field; on desk duty, or monitoring other officers while they may or may not have been away.
Alike recent sentiments, I, stand by this argument based on the sentiment that all lives matter including Blue Lives. And, in this case, a silly mistake or a “wrongdoing” even a small one by a fellow officer, could, cost lives. A “mistake” no matter where it may be, in office; at a desk, or in the field (in the field, especially) could be dangerous. A field mistake, could, result in a number of tragically dangerous results that could easily be prevented by informing my superiors of a mishap at the hands of another officer.
In the case of law enforcement, and as it always will be, honesty is the best policy.