Atlanta, GA
Atlanta, GA
Police officers in any state are expected to uphold the law in any capacity and as such are held to a strict code of conduct that demands ethical behavior at all times. While it is impossible to ask the men and women that serve in this capacity to not act like human beings, they are still kept to higher standard in accordance with their chosen profession. A police officer or other agent of the law is by necessity expected to exist as an example to the citizens they serve and protect, and must at all times strive to adhere to the code that they swear by when assuming their role. Police officers are expected to know and follow the code of conduct throughout the United States.
A code of ethics is important for any law enforcement official, be they an active officer or a clerk working in the county office. There are many reasons that ethics and conduct are crucial to such a position, but three that are absolutely necessary include: 1) to capably and responsibly protect and serve the general population, 2) to be seen as an authority figure of unimpeachable integrity, and 3) to be fair and just in performing one’s duties as an officer of the law. Law enforcement officers are looked upon in various ways, but how they conduct themselves around others will usually determine how the general public views their position. Their attitude and overall conduct becomes how the public sees them and their fellow officers.
For example, it is well known that for many years the Los Angeles County Police
riots that occurred in 1992 as a result of the Rodney King trial in Los Angeles, CA (Dickerson,
2015) or the fact that the officers that were guilty of the act were released, the blow to law
enforcement was felt far and wide. From that point on the message was clear that police officers were not above reproach or suspicion. Even in Atlanta, GA, where I plan to pursue a career in law enforcement, lawmen and women are not considered to be entirely trustworthy. This is thanks in part to the actions taken by an officer in 2014 that was convicted after murdering his girlfriend (Visser, 2014). The code of conduct and ethical manner that police are expected to live by is not a shield that defends the acts they commit, but is instead a scale that they must continually use to balance their actions in public as well as private.
Officers must be able to rise above the desire to abuse their authority. No matter the situation or their personal feelings they must always obey the law and serve the best interests of those that are under their protection. As an example, many officers are well-versed in domestic violence, and must follow the law no matter what direction their personal feelings demand. While it might be satisfying to beat rapists, wife-beaters, and other such individuals to a pulp it is not lawful, and it is not ethical. The police are bound to serve and protect using any method that is available to them, but at all times they must still follow the law and attempt to protect the rights of every citizen. It is distasteful at times to have to protect those that break the law, but that is an officer’s duty.
In order to uphold the duty and position to which they have been appointed, officers of the law must at times uphold policies and statutes that are designed to run contrary to what they know to be ethical and even moral, but are written as law and must be treated as such. As an example, a convict can bring an inquiry into play if they feel that an officer has mishandled them in any way, even if there is evidence that they were in fact the aggressor. No matter if the officer conducts themselves in an ethical and moral manner, they are still held continually under the proverbial microscope.
References
Dickerson, J. Remembering The 1992 LA Riots Over 2 Decades Later. The Huffington Post.
Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/29/1992-la-riot-photos_n_7173540.html
Visser, S. (2014). Atlanta cop linked to homicide waives first court appearance. AJC.com.
Retrieved from
http://www.ajc.com/news/atlanta-cop-linked-homicide-waives-first-court-appearance/2pg9E14RRcKChHsqgBNT6J/
