1

Ethics and Code of Conduct in Law Enforcement

Student’s Name

Professor’s Name

Course Title

Date
 2

Ethics and Code of Conduct in Law Enforcement

Every profession has its code of conduct that a person needs to keep abreast of in order to

foster a good working relationship. Law enforcement job requires a high standard of code

adherence alongside morals to uphold the law while ensuring honesty in service delivery. This

paper discusses the different aspects of ethics and code of conduct among law enforcers,

provides recommendations for use of ethics in law enforcement, and uses California state to

discuss the law enforcement code of conduct.

Importance Of Ethics And Integrity In My Future Career In Law Enforcement

I aspire to become a county sheriff. This is a job position in the law enforcement that

requires working diligently in relation to being honest, moral, and honoring the code one has

sworn to protect. In this line of thought, there are several reasons that explain the essentialness of

a county sheriff embracing ethics and integrity. First, it makes one to act confidently, honestly,

and in the jurisdiction of the law. Barker (1) supports this notion using a suggestion that police

personnel should not only act with honesty, but always embrace honesty in thoughts. A second

reason for embracing ethics and integrity is that it promotes the ease of adherence to the law and

other work regulations. It would be hard to compromise an officer who is ethical and integral and

his/her work (Barker, 1). This implies that a county sheriff should lead by example by exhibiting

ethical behavior and sound decisions. Thirdly, ethical behavior and integrity enable law enforces

to effectively embrace community policing, gaining society’s trust, and collaborating proficiently

with members of the society to combat crimes.

Difference Between Ethics, Morality, and Law in Decision Making Among Local Officers

Officers make decisions across various boundaries of jurisprudence. Various factors

might impede their ability to remain ethical, moral, and law adherent when making decisions.
 3

For instance, considering ethical backgrounds, working in a diversified community is likely to

jeopardize the efforts of a law enforcement to decide soberly. A diversified society contains

people from various ethnicities who hold different beliefs. As a result, it may appear challenging

for a law enforcement officer to execute certain actions. The officer must consider the ethicality

of the decision he/she makes in relation to allegations of ethnic profiling based on how his/her

people relate with the victim. Also, an officer must be aware of the fact that whether he/she is

executing an action based on the fact that what the offender has done is illegal or is it from an

unethical perspective. In other words, there are times when an offender might be unethical but

has not done anything illegal. In such a case, the officer must not know that the law does not

apply and therefore, the decision to arrest such an individual might be irrational. It is essential for

an officer to always exercise morality, ethicality, and recalling the provisions of the law before

making a decision.

Ethics, Morality, and the Code of Conduct in Professional and Personal Lives

Law enforcement officers can use ethics, morality, and code of conduct in different ways

both professionally and personally. It is essential for law enforcement officers to ensure that they

live safely while also ensuring that the people they protect are also safe. Also, it is the role of a

law enforcement officer to ensure that they act professionally by avoiding unethical behaviors

such as cheating or stealing. Such practices can be extended to their personal lives too to avoid

surrounding themselves with people that can influence them negatively and affect the efficacy

with which they discharge their duties. Remaining upright can help law enforcers to make proper

decisions that seem integral and visionary to the course of service delivery. There are two ways

law officers can use to show code of conduct, ethics, and morality. One way is by using written

policies. This includes, documented materials explaining the code of conduct that law officers
 4

need to abide by for appropriate service delivery. The other way involves using unwritten

policies. According to Banks (2), such policies comprise moral and personal values. It is

essential for a law enforcement officer to avoid violence as it is unethical. Furthermore, a law

officer must never seem unethical as it is likely to perpetuate racism or any other form of human

rights violation. As such, using both written and unwritten policies allows law enforcement

officers to keep abreast of the right code of conduct and ethics required to exercises appropriate

professionalism and living in the right way the society desires.

Most Important Aspect of the Code in California’s Law Enforcement Code of Conduct

After evaluating the Code of Ethics governing police conduct in California, it is possible

to deduce that the two most essential aspects related to law enforcement code of conduct include

responsibility to the society and responsibility to the law enforcement agency. Responsibility to

the society requires the law enforcement officers to serve in accordance with the needs of the

majority while upholding the rights of the minority groups. Many people coexist in California

leading to a high probability of conflicts. Hence the need for law enforcer to be unbiased and

exhibit respect to everyone. The second aspect is the responsibility for the law enforcement

agency. This code requires law enforcers to embrace professionalism and conduct themselves

ethically while on and off the duty (California Police Chiefs Association, 3). Adhering to this

code enables law enforcers to build a reputable image to the society and the media in general.

To sum up, ethics form part of the rules that govern life from a professional and personal

perspective. Everyone has ethics and morals he/she displays. However, law enforcement officers

are held highly in the society compared to common citizens and people rely on them to maintain

order. As a result, it is obligatory for them to act ethically and morally to continue earning the

trust of the public they serve.

5
 6

Sources

1. Barker, T. (2011). Police ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement. Springfield, Ill.: Chares C.

Thomas.

2. Banks, S. (2016). Everyday ethics in professional life: social work as ethics work. Ethics

And Social Welfare, 10(1), 35-52. doi: 10.1080/17496535.2015.1126623

3. California Police Chiefs Association. Code of Ethics. Retrieved 27 January 2020, from

https://www.californiapolicechiefs.org/code-of-ethics