Essay Sample on Ethical Code in Police Profession

Introduction

Ethics is the primary factor that abides all those in any professional line during their day to day activities. Also, it helps them in making the judgment on the appropriate line of action. Most professionals make the right decision in their actions by following proper discretion. Each situation is different and calls for a specific type of answer before being handled. For instance, police are faced with a dilemma in the line of work on the appropriate actions that they should take. The professional ethics to discuss is that of the police. Police play a significant role in society by enforcing law and order as well as protecting the citizens against any form of discrimination. Ethic go in line with the professional behavior and application of critical thinking to handle the situation as it presents itself. The integrity often is identifying something wrong and what is right for the chosen course of action. Ethical deliberation involves the direction taken in the process of deciding at the moment faced by the situation. The essay is going to discuss the do's and don'ts in the ethical system in the police profession and its application to various aspects of morality.

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There are various things police are not supposed to do in the line of the duty. One of them is police brutality. Police brutality is the fact that American cannot hide from as they are subjected on daily bases (Cooper & Fullilove, 2016). In all of the major cities across the nation, the officers are misusing the power vested in them most flagrantly. All the law enforcers have special treatment, privilege and they bear a lot of responsibility. They carry guns all over they go, and the society trust them as the people who are supposed to protect them from any harm. For example, in case a citizen is in trouble runs to the cop for protecting and also seeking help. Taking into account information discussed and how they are viewed do cops break the law? Of course, they do break the law at the time in their daily activities. Not only do cops break the law but they do it quite often (Carter, 2017). The power given to police makes it possible for them to break the law. Following the increase in the crime rate, the government has responded by placing police in the streets to maintain law and order.

In the cities, it is easy to exercise brutality which is felt nationwide. Brutality affects the citizen's trust in the law enforcement body. Citizen subjected to physical violence, and that contradicts the civics rights of the civilians (Cooper & Fullilove, 2016). Weapons were designed with the aim of being used on the battlefield and protect the lives of innocent Americans. The rise of the police misuse of power has shifted the principal duty given of safeguarding civilian to harming. Hence, police brutality makes it seem like they no longer protect the civilians. The problems facing citizens' can be elaborated by the use of the Kantian theory. The approach is an example of the deontological moral theory. According to the methods mentioned the right or wrong of the action is not dependent on the impacts but what is measured is the motive. In the police force, they do not care whether they used power to achieve objectives but what matter is the facts that the task completion (Carter, 2017). Police officers want to make their primary, but they do not care the process followed and the impacts.

Various things motivate police brutality. One of the things that make the police to act in a brutal manner is the type of training they undergo. The cops undergo vigorous exercise in the training, and as a result, they tend to react violently and very quickly to any situation that is faced in daily (Cooper & Fullilove, 2016). Congress and other lawmaking department have come up with incentive programs to the department that will be making a high number of arrest. This trigger the all department to work aggressively to take the reward. The program funds the trigger happy SWAT team in cities leading to increased brutality and killing of citizens (Carter, 2017). In large towns, the cop has to deal with various activity taking place. Some of the activities are gang fights where they engage in running battles. Also, they are supposed to deal with the drug problem and eliminate the activities. The drug may result in the organization of gangs who resist and make the life of officers difficult in handling the population. The number of the poor in society and less educated make it easy for the gang to circulate drugs and be loyal. Cops have to go an extra mile to deal with such an organized gang. The police officers are motivated at collecting the reward and mitigating the issue of the gang.

Conclusion

In conclusion, every American citizen has a right to self-defense and that right is violated by the law enforcers as they do not consider it. According to the constitution, a citizen can resist unlawful arrest from the police officer to the point of taking the life of the officer in the efforts of self-defense. Police, on the other hand, acts violently to the society that shows signs of resistance. The increase of the violent crimes and the overreaction of the police officers has led to the rise of police brutality in the efforts of curbing crimes.

References

Carter S. (2017). A Kantian ethics approach to moral bioenhancement. Bioethics, 31(9), 683-690. Retrieved fromhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5656885/

Cooper, H. L., & Fullilove, M. (2016). Editorial: Excessive Police Violence as a Public Health Issue. Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 93 Suppl 1(Suppl 1), 1-7. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4824695/