Code of Ethics Violations

Code of Ethics Violation

It is not uncommon to find some type of corruption within law enforcement agencies if you dig deep enough. However, once discovered there must be a disciplinary measure that is taken to prevent further corruption. Ethical complaints can be filed by following the appropriate processes and procedures. Although policies vary from department to department, there is a specific code of ethics that each department functions by following.

The Benton Harbor Police Department has received a lot of unwanted attention in the past few years. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Detroit Division, Bernard Hall Jr. was a sworn police officer working for the Narcotics Unit. He was responsible for supervising the other police officers assigned to the unit. It was Hall that was in charge of overseeing the former Benton Harbor Police officer, Andrew Collins. Collins is currently serving time in a federal prison for a felony drug conviction that took place in January of 2009. Collins had admitted that he used his position on the police department to abuse trust and he had failed to report and submit the required narcotics that he had seized to the BHPD. Instead he remained in possession of those that he seized and used them for his own personal gain or purpose. “Collins admitted that he reported false and fictitious controlled purchases to the BHPD for the purpose of improperly securing search warrants and to embezzle funds of the BHPD” (Federal Bureau of Investigation, 2009).

The Federal Bureau of Investigation also mentioned what indictments were alleged. Count one of the Indictment alleges that both Hall and Collins were involved in a pattern of police corruption resulting in the violation of the civil ...

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...the city of Benton Harbor had in the BHPD dwindled even more. It may take years for the department to regain the trust of many of the city’s citizens.

Works Cited

Feds Arrest Another Benton Harbor Cop on Corruption Charges. (n.d.). WNDU RSS. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/51055617.html

Former Benton Harbor Police Officer Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Violate Civil Rights. (2011, April 28). FBI. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.fbi.gov/detroit/press-releases/2009/de090909.htm

Pollock, J. M. (2012). Ethical Dilemmas and Decisions in Criminal Justice (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.

Swidwa, J. (2010, March 5). Hall Sentenced to 30 months. The Herald Palladium. Retrieved May 25, 2014, from http://www.heraldpalladium.com/localnews/hall-sentenced-to-months/article_b59cbf7c-8376-556c-8333-112742b25a89.html