Abstract
Since the beginning of man Law Enforcement has been around. As early as 1700 B.C. the Code of Hammurabi was followed back. This book consisted of 282 different codes which implied punishments for crimes. When Adam and Eve broke the rules God decide to cast Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden as a punishment. These types of historical records display the fact that law enforcers have always existed. Ethical issues surrounding the authority exercised by these individuals, just as law enforcers have always existed.
Police officers credibility depends upon their own personal compliance with the law and with behaviors that promote public order and citizen safety, since police officers are entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing society’s law and protecting citizens from harm. Ethics is a code of values which guides our choices and determines the purpose and courses of our lives.
Ethics is a code of values which guide our choices and determines the purpose and course of our lives. Ethics are important in law enforcement because of career survival, media coverage, community view of agency, in house conflict, personal stress, and innocent people can suffer. Our ethics come from our upbringing, school religion, friends, and society as a whole.
A study that was conducted in the New York City Police Department in 1994 establish that corruption-prone officers were more than five times more likely than other officers to have had five or more complaints filed against them for the use of unnecessary force. “Police corruption is a worldwide problem. According to a 1994 report, 100 of 1,046 Miami police officers had been, or currently were matters.” (McCafferty, Pg 60) Police corruption is a problem that has always existed. Police corruption can be explained by many factors. Police officers may have supervisors but since they are in the filed they rarely have anybody to really keep a watchful eye over them. Police officers...