Police corruption occurs when an officer uses his or her status as a police officer to obtain a wrongful gain or a benefit. It may include something as simple as accepting a free meal to something as deviant as extortion. As a police department, it is important to maintain honesty among our force and stay clear from corruption. In order to better understand this issue, I have drafted this memo to address issues of corruption including free meals, standards and civil liability.
FREE MEALS
The International Association of Chiefs of Police Law Enforcement Code of Ethics states that law enforcement officers should never accept gratitudes. Thus, accepting a free meal is unethical behavior by a police officer. It does not make any difference whether one is in uniform, the significance of accepting the free meal is based on status as a police officer.
Accepting a free meal may save an officer some money, and may seem as an act of appreciation by the offeror, however, there are also many cons to accepting a free meal. Many have argued that accepting a free meal is a slippery slope, meaning that a free meal can lead to larger benefits and a depth of corruption. Additionally, accepting a free meal may give an impression of impropriety as well as an impression of dishonesty. And, accepting a free meal may present an expectation, both on the part of the officer and on the part of the merchant. Not accepting a free meal will likely cause no harm, but may benefit the officer and the merchant. Therefore, it is important for those in this department to remain ethical in all matters and never accept a free meal.
HIGHER STANDARDS
Police officers should be held to a higher standard than those in other professions because they represent authority and have the duty to protect and serve others. A police officer must have a great amount of integrity. Their integrity needs to be of a high degree as they must reflect leadership, responsibility, honesty, courage, trust, prudence and justice in their actions as an officer. There are other professions that may also demand these virtues and values, but the degree to which an officer must possess them is higher due to their role in society.
CIVIL LIABILITY
Civil liability may arise for police officers or entire police departments when there is a failure to perform a duty or a performance of a duty in a negligent manner or in an abuse of authority. Some of the most common reasons people sue the police department are violations of civil rights or intentional torts. Civil rights lawsuits arise when a discriminatory act occurs on the part of officers. An intentional tort may occur when there is a false arrest, assault or battery by an officer, or an alleged wrongful death. A police department is not likely to be sued over accepting a free lunch.
When a police department is sued, there is a significant amount of harm that arises both within the police department as well as in the community. There will likely be a decline in morale in the department, and in the community, there may be a rise in mistrust toward the officers. In order to reduce civil liability, it is important to have strong ethical leadership and thorough training on matters of ethics and proper conduct.
References
Martin, R. (2011, May). Police Corruption. Retrieved from FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin: https://leb.fbi.gov/2011/may/police-corruption-an-analytical-look-into-police-ethics
McCafferty, F. L., & McCafferty, M. A. (1998). Corruption in Law Enforcement: A Paradigm of Occupational Stress and Deviancy. Journal of Ameican Academy of Psychiatry Law, 26(1).
Petrocelli, J. (2006, December 20). Free Cup of Coffee? Retrieved from Officer.com: http://www.officer.com/article/10250436/free-cup-of-coffee
