Police Officers – Sheepdogs of the Public A deafening crash roared through the streets of New York City. One giant jet-black cloud of smoke streaked through the sky as America entered into a new age - an age of terror. The first Twin Tower of the World Trade Center had been stuck and burned like a giant cigar in the horizon of the city. Hundreds of police officers went as first responders, ready to help and protect more people from ultimate death. These officers went into this scene of terror with bravery and selflessness, making civilian lives their main priority. Without these men and women, many more people would have perished on that fateful day. Becoming a police officer is a role not many people can undertake because of the high amounts …show more content…
“The District Police Department is comprised of 23 officers: Chief, Master Sergeants, Patrol Officers, Truancy Officers, Canine Officers, Records/ Evidence Officers, and Emergency Operations Officers” (“District Police Department”). There are many other kinds of officers other than just a traditional Patrol Officer. If one branches off into a specific area, for example a Canine Officer, then he or she will have different responsibilities and can even earn more money. This is especially true when one moves through ranks such as Sergeants or Chief. It typically takes about 3 to 4 years before one can apply for a different police officer position and even longer before they can become a chief or sergeant. Although the responsibilities are more rigorous, they can earn more money and be in charge of officers under their rank. Responsibilities can vary. For example, school cops “…are empowered by the Texas Education Code to perform administrative duties” (“District Police Department”). When someone is promoted to be a school cop they have to undergo other duties than normal such as working at athletic events, school board meetings, graduations and proms. Duties vary depending on the advancement. A canine unit will typically be more involved with drug trafficking while a SWAT member can be a normal officer unless a situation comes …show more content…
“The primary duty of a police officer is to protect people and property” (Johnson). Officers do this by patrolling designated areas, answering calls for help, arresting individuals, issuing citations and testifying in court. Although tasks can vary from day to day and call to call, these are the main things all officers must do across all branches. However, if an officer gets a promotion to be a school cop they must meet all of those requirements and more. “Primary duties of District Officers include enforcement of all federal, state, and local laws as well as board policies” (“District Police Department”). This shows that because they are different than a normal officer, they must take on more duties and enforce more rules that they otherwise wouldn’t. But regardless of rank or branch, they must always protect people and some go as far as sacrificing their life for their cause. Without the sacrifices made by law enforcement, there would be an immense amount of danger and nobody would be able to live in peace. The streets would be filled with even more crime and everyone would be exposed to senseless killings and drug trafficking just to name a few. Despite the great amount of daily danger faced, officers maintain a professional, positive mentality throughout their career. They also maintain a position of humility in the back of their mind and remember people need to
Assisted Suicide, also known as mercy killing, occurs when a physician provides the means (drugs or other agents) by which a person can take his or her own life. This assistance is one of the most debated issues today in society followed by abortion. Physicians are frequently faced with the question of whether or not assisted suicide is ethical or immoral. Although assisted suicide is currently illegal in almost all states in America, it is still often committed. Is assisted suicide ethical? Studies have found that the majority of Americans support assisted suicide. One must weigh both sides of the argument before they can decide.
The discussion of physician-assisted suicide is frequently focused around the ethical implications. The confusion commonly surfaces from the simple question, what is physician-assisted suicide? Physician-assisted suicide can be defined as a circumstance in which a medical physician provides a lethal dose of medication to a patient with a fatal illness. In this case, the patient has given consent, as well as direction, to the physician to ethically aid in their death (Introduction to Physician-Assisted Suicide: At Issue,
There are many legal and ethical issues when discussing the topic of physician-assisted suicide (PAS). The legal issues are those regarding numerous court cases over the past few decades, the debate over how the 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution comes into play, and the legalization vs. illegalization of this practice. The 14th Amendment states, “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, §1). PAS in the past has been upheld as illegal due to the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment of the constitution, but in recent years this same 14th amendment is also part of the reasoning for legalizing PAS, “nor shall any State deprive any person of…liberty” (U.S. Const. amend. XIV, §1). The ethical issues surrounding this topic include a patient’s autonomy and dignity and if PAS should be legalized everywhere. This paper is an analysis of the PAS debate and explores these different issues using a specific case that went to the supreme courts called Washington et al. v. Glucksberg et al.
Physician-assisted suicide is defined as the practice where a physician provides a patient with a lethal dose of medication, upon the patient's request, which the patient desires to use to end his or her life. The Harvard Medical School conferred that we are "dead" when there is permanent loss of consciousness in the higher brain, even though one may not be flat lined. The idea for physician assisted suicide is for a medical doctor help someone die who is still alive but desires to terminate their own life due to an impairment or illness which causes suffering upon the individual. The question we must consider is where do we cross the line between suicide and murder.
Throughout the course of history, advances in medical technology have prolonged the length of life and delayed death; however, terminal illnesses still exist and modern medicine is often unable to prevent death. Many people turn to a procedure known as Physician-Assisted suicide, a process by which a doctor aids in ending a terminally ill patient’s life. This procedure is painless and effective, allowing patients to control their death and alleviate unnecessary suffering. In spite of these benefits, Physician-Assisted suicide is illegal in many places both nationally and internationally. Despite the fact that Physician-Assisted suicide is opposed by many Americans and much of the world on ethical and moral grounds such as those based on religion and the morality of taking another life, it should still be legalized because it alleviates suffering of patients, allows patients to choose a dignified death, and allows patients to control their own fate instead of their disease controlling them.
The documentary “Policing the Police,” by PBS, assists in providing insight into problems facing the city of Newark, New Jersey, and its police department. The documentary displays the opinions of both the police officers and the people of the communities on the most pressing crime related issues in the city and the solutions to them. The variety of perspectives that documentary provides is very informative and forces the viewer to look at the problems of police brutality in a more complex manner rather than black and white. Ultimately, the documentary exposes the failure of the Newark Police Department to work effectively and the solutions new leaders are beginning to implement.
Everyday law enforcement personal have the possibility to face dangerous events in their daily duties. In performing such duties a police officer could come by a seemingly ordinary task, and in a blink of an eye the event can turn threatening and possible deadly. When or if this happens to an officer they won’t have
In 2007, the American Geriatrics Society defined Physician-Assisted Suicide as, “When a physician provides either equipment or medication, or informs the patient of the most efficacious use of already available means, for the purpose of assisting the patient to end his or her own life” (qtd. in Lachman 121). Physician-Assisted Suicide is what it says, suicide. In the United States the controversy of the “Right to die” is not new. According to Vicki D. Lachman a Clinical Associate Professor, after the Supreme Court decision in 1997, it was determined that there is not a constitutional right to die. The Supreme Court is allowing states to pass laws to legalize Physician-Assisted Suicide. Since then three states, Oregon, Washington, and Montana have made it legal to perform Phy...
Physician assisted suicide is murder. Using euthanasia, increased dosage of morphine or injecting patient’s with a lethal combination of drugs to slow his/her breathing until he/she dies is also murder. Physician assisted suicide is morally wrong. The classical theory for physician assisted suicide is utilitarianism because according to Mosser 2010, “utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines the moral value of an act in terms of its results and if those results produce the greatest good for the greatest number.” Utilitarianism will solve the physician assisted suicide problem if all of the physicians will stand by the oath they say. According to the Hippocratic Oath doctor says, “I will neither give a deadly drug to anybody if asked for it, nor will I make a suggestion to this effect.”
As one can see, physician-assisted suicide has a long and complicated history. Recent developments in the United States have brought the issues associated with end-of-life decisions under the microscope. The morality and ethics associated with voluntarily assisting someone while committing suicide have struck a chord with individuals, organizations, and in the political and medicinal sectors. The Hippocratic Oath and Pharmaceutical Oath have become subject to scrutiny with the gaining popularity and legalization of terminally ill patients seeking dignity in death. Increasingly, people are supporting the tough decisions made by patients.
Assisted suicide is a very controversial topic in American society that must be dealt with. In assisted suicide, a patient who is terminally ill requests the doctor to administer a lethal dose of medication to end his life. Assisted suicide brings up many moral and legal issues regarding the right of a patient to die with respect and the duties of a doctor. This issue is divided among people who believe that doctor assisted suicide is illegal and immoral and those who believe that suicide is a right that people have. Doctors who aid a patient to commit suicide are performing an illegal act and should be penalized to the full extent of the law.
When a cadet is accepted into the police academy, it indicates the beginning of an all-encompassing and extremely intensified training program. In such program, the cadet will learn the fundamentals of his/her new role and obtain the basic proficiencies mandated to perform the job of a patrol officer. However, transferring these learned fundamentals in the field can prove to be a difficult undertaking (Caro, 2011).
Police agencies have beautiful roles and functions in accomplishing law enforcement for protection and maintenance of peaceful, orderly, and safe society. Police officers are meant to be authoritative figures that can make the people feel safe and protected. The history of policing and establishment of polices departments in America reflect roles of police officers in fulfilling the defined and perceived the public need for law enforcement bodies that will look after keeping the peace and order in the communities. However, the temptations of time and circumstances have been always around and allowed permeation of corruption in police officers.
To become a police officer there are five basic requirements that one must first meet. Although these requirements may vary slightly from state to state they are pretty basic and not to difficult to meet. First an applicant must be a U.S. citizen or at least a permanent resident alien who has applied for citizenship. The next requirement seeks that an applicant be 21 years old by his academy graduation date. Agencies also have an education requirement, which can vary from department to department. Some departments will accept an officer with a high school degree or at least a GED; while police departments require some form of a college education whether that be a bachelors degree or a minimum number of college credits. Agencies also ask that the applicant has a valid drivers license and there is a minimum fitness requirement to ensure that an applicant will be able to keep up with any obstacle that he or she may face out on the field.
Being a police officer sounds like a good job to have for anyone who wants to do good things for their community. To begin, the daily routine as an officer is always changing; it does so because the central goal of law enforcement is to serve and protect people and their property in addition to keeping the public as safe as possible. Also, a typical day of a police is not that of a normal occupation. There are also requirements that need to be met in order to an officer of the law.