Police Ethical Obligations

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Police officers are generally held in high regard in terms of societal expectations. As a result, police officers should consider themselves as role models within the communities in which they live and serve. The position of a police officer should not viewed as be one of privilege, but instead, it should be one that is revered. To command respect, one must be respectable. For this reason, a police officer should do their best to live their lives unsullied. While some may view the position merely as an occupation, it is a way of life for those who serve.

The Ethical Considerations are ideals that are set forth by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (Hall, 2015). Members of this organization are police executives with countless years of service and behind those years of service, lies countless experience. As with any occupation, there will be police officers that are misguided or simply lose their way. The police executives who are part of the International Association of Chiefs of Police recognize the fragility of the relationship between law enforcement and the communities in which they serve. Because of this, credence to “how” a law enforcement officer should live and work, as society expects more for its protectors (COPS, n.d.). …show more content…

At the top of the list of ethical obligations is the suggestion that police officers shall abide by the law (Hall, 2015). Following this obligation are other points such as shall not harass or demean others and officers shall not become personally involved with a subject of an investigation (Hall, 2015). The ethical considerations put forth in this list are reasonable and obvious. Even without having read the list, every police officer should be able to articulate these ethical

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