Running head: POLICE OFFICER DISCIPLINE 1

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ABSTRACT

Police officers are person empowered by authority to carry out duties on behalf of the

state. As they carry out these duties they are expected to maintain high standards of

profession and therefore there are certain disciplinary actions put in place to ensure that the

standards are upheld at all times. Their fundamental duty as law enforcement officers is to

serve the community; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent from deception,

the weak from oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful from violence or disorder; and to

respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice. Incase of an omission

or failure to carry out those duties they are held accountable by the law.
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POLICE OFFICER DISCIPLINE

A disciplinary action is taken to correct or reprimand the actions of an employee as a

result of misconduct , rule violations or poor performance.(Siegel,2015) Similarly, there are

disciplinary actions to ensure that police officers carry out their duties with diligence and

avoid violations their oath as law enforcement officers. Therefore there are various forms of

disciplinary action that can be taken by police officers against officers.

A discipline matrix is a systematic timetable for disciplinary proceedings that specifies

the presumptive action to be taken for each sort of violation as well as any adjustments to be

made depending on an officer's prior disciplinary record. A disciplinary matrix's principal

goal is to promote uniformity in discipline: to minimize discrepancies and ensure that officers

who have been found to have committed similar forms of misconduct will face similar

punishments. (Stephens,2011) This disciplinary action helps reduce disparities in executing

the disciplinary actions.

Sheriff Leroy Baca and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department invented

Education-Based Discipline. It signifies themost notable divergence from the norm policing

in the United States and perhaps the entire world. As the name implies,The procedure is

intended to concentrate on behavioral issues rather of punishment, education is used to effect

change. The procedure provides the individual with possibility of willingly enrolling in an

individually tailored corrective plan that may involve education, training, or other options

geared to address the misconduct situation, including writing a research paper. The education

offered enlights them and even reprimands on certain actions that violates the law.

Mediation is frequently utilized as an alternative to the formal disciplinary process, and

participation is usually voluntary on the part of the officer. This strategy is most suited for

concerns about discourtesy, insensitivity, and minor procedural difficulties. (Stephens,2011)

Peer review is another form of disciplinary action. During the procedure, experienced senior
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officers reviewed the actions of officers who got a complaint or reached a preset threshold

volume in areas such as use of force, resist arrests, and vehicle collisions. Identifying officers

by the examination of such characteristics was one of the first kinds of early intervention.

Other disciplinary actions include suspension, jail time incase of serious crimes such as

involvement in murder.

According to the Brady judgment, the defense has the right to analyze all evidence that

may be exculpatory. The prosecution will not only provide evidence indicating that the

defendant is guilty of a crime, but will also release any evidence indicating that the defendant

is innocent. Brady v. Maryland, 373 U.S. 83, was a landmark United States Supreme Court

case that established that the prosecution must turn over all evidence that might exonerate the

defendant to the defense. (Jeff, 2003) The prosecution failed to do so for Brady, and he was

convicted. As a result the decision affected the police officers in that evidence affecting the

credibility of police officers as a witness may be exculpatory evidence and should be given to

the defence during discovery. Evidence that the officer had a sustained finding of

untruthfulness in his personnel file is clearly exculpatory to the defense.

Most times citizens rights are violated by police officers in the course of carrying out

their duties thus as a result they need to follow a certain procedure to file their complaints.

The most effective way to register a complaint about police misconduct is to visit the

Department of Police Accountability office. This will allow investigators to conduct personal

interviews with you and conduct a thorough investigation of the initial, and most essential,

phase of a complaint inquiry.(Siegel,2015) Other methods one can use is by filling a

complaint form either online or at the police station. Sending a letter containing details on the

incident will also be helpful.

Complaints against the actions of police officers have been on the rise in the recent

years thus there is need for the police leaders to improve complaint process against officer. to
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introduce complaint process that are fair and does not discriminate any member of the

society. Eliminate the fact that some complaints may fail to be handled because of their race

or even gender. The other method to use is by making the process simple so that anyone can

easily complain without having to follow long procedures that may at times lead to a dead

end. Lastly, each police station should have officers selected to deal with complaints against

officers. (Michele& Chelsea,2016) Through this it is easier to address the issues because

roles are divided from the basic place on how to manage the complaints in an easy way.

To improve the investigating police misconduct certain measures should be put in place

to ensure this. Inoreder to ensure an unbiased court decision the use of special prosecutors

should be increased especially in the investigations done. Ensure that there is data collection

on the fatalities caused by police officers which will give an insight during the

investigations. Prioritize the implicit bias training for all federal law enforcement officers and

state officers.

In conclusion, the disciplinary actions on police misconduct should be followed inorder

to ensure that they do their duties with atmost discipline. Also citizens should have a channel

that is fair and accountable so that they can channel their complaints easily. Police as law

enforcement officers they should ensure that they uphold their oaths with professionalism and

fulfil their duties truthfully.

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References

Author(s) Jeff Noble. (2003). Police officer truthfulness and the brady decision. Retrieved

September 21, 2021, from https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/police-officer-

truthfulness-and-brady-decision

Michele L. Jawando and Chelsea Parsons. (2014). 4 ideas that could begin to reform the

criminal justice system and improve police-community relations. Retrieved September 21,

2021, from https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/courts/reports/2014/12/18/103578/4-

ideas-that-could-begin-to-reform-the-criminal-justice-system-and-improve-police-

community-relations/

Siegel, L. J. (2015). Criminology: Theories, patterns, and typologies. Cengage Learning.

Stephens, D. W. (2011). New perspectives in policing. National Institute of Justice,(Police.

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