Internal Affairs Case Study

Thesis Internal affair investigations is a social control measure put in place by police departments to ensure assigned officers do not commit ethical violations or actions that result in professional misconduct. Due to the sensitive nature of these investigations, all facts presented in favor of and against the accused must be thorough and accurate. Proper training of department supervisors is critical to the discipline and performance of subordinate officers.

Introduction

This paper is an analysis of the ethics of internal affairs investigations, and whether it is ethical for police personnel to investigate themselves. A case study of a well-known internal affairs investigation will be discussed, which in-turn will add practical

If all members of society conducted themselves honestly than our country would not need daily laws which to abide by. If this were the case, than naturally all citizens would understand what is correct and what is not, and conduct themselves accordingly. From a deontology perspective it would be the individual duty of each person to uphold justice and righteousness. When speaking of police officers, they are viewed by society as those members who are not only supposed to enforce the law but uphold the law as well. If police officers conduct themselves in such a way as do what I say and not as I do, than the credibility that comes with their professionalism is lost. Unfortunately, many times to often there have been officers who have crossed the fine line separating just and unjust, thus their actions have warranted internal affairs investigations. “Each time we act, we make the world different from what it would otherwise have been. And the more good we can do the better. So the right action is the best one; the one that produces more good and less harm than any other” (McNaughton, 1998, p. 37). When an officer is placed under internal investigation, the investigators approaching the situation with a deontological approach is the best and only way to handle such a circumstance. People do not gain more individual rights by taking the sworn oath of an officer, in reality individual rights are lost because there is little to no room for human error. Internal affairs investigators are expected to conduct themselves as the best of the best and their behavior professionally must be at an untouchable and righteous level. Haphazardly approaching an internal investigation involving a police officer is the same as having a utilitarianism outlook, and ethically speaking looking at a possible unlawful act with a blind eye is