Code of Ethics 1 Law Enforcement Code of Ethics Your name ADJ 235 Due date Instructors name Code of Ethics 2 Law Enforcement Code of Ethics The main conflict that I see between the formal law enforcement code of ethics and Cop Code is that the formal code states that an officer should protect the lives and property of those that they serve Cop Code does not always follow this line of thinking As we have discussed in previous weeks there is a strong bond among officers it is like a brotherhood and these men and women would do almost anything to protect another officer There are cases where an officer witnesses some type o illegal or immoral behavior by a co worker the officer is torn should he or she keep quite to keep the peace or should he or she come forward with what they know These types of situations put an officer in a horrible position that often leads to what would be considered an unethical decision Problems arise when a law enforcement officer makes the ethical decision to share his or her knowledge with the captain or sheriff Many times this snitching breaks Cop Code and leads to mistreatment of the snitch and his or her property which causes more conflict within the department when other officers are witnessing the mistreatment When these officers engage in unethical behavior and the public learns of it the department s image is tarnished Keeping a positive image with the public is not easy law enforcement officials are held to higher standards and when those standards are not upheld the public s view turns negative This leads to less trust in those that are to be protecting the community and feelings of resentment when an average citizen is punished for the same crime as the offending officer committed without being charged
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