Cynthia Russell Policing in America Everest University online 9/28/14 Describe in detail what the ideal traits are of a police officer and why? As police officers, our first sworn duty and allegiance are to the community and the police or sheriff's department's mission. We must maintain a high degree of loyalty to successfully serve our communities. As police officers, you will be called upon to meet many challenges, adversities, and every level of danger. This requires courage.
Police force protects our rights as citizens, enforces the law, and it helps shape a society to make moral and ethical decisions. However, one may argue that the use of police force can be too extreme and that it strips citizens of their rights. This issue leads to an important question, should we expand or reduce the use of police force? According to a news article, “The police can be described as a constituted body of persons that are empowered by the state to enforce the law, limit civil disorder, and protect property” (news.linktv.org). Law enforcement constitutes the part of the policing activity itself.
You could find yourself getting into trouble with the police if you carry out an arrest that is incorrect. In order to make a citizen’s arrest, they must come under any of the three sets of guidelines, these are: * arrest for an 'indictable offence' under PACE * arrest of a person’s committing, or about to commit, a Breach of the Peace under common law * Use of reasonable force to prevent crime or arrest offenders or persons unlawfully at large under the Criminal Law Act 1967. A citizen’s arrest is still a really important law in the UK as these powers of arrest belong to Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs). There are lots of differences between a citizen’s arrest and a police arrest... 1. If you believe a crime is about to be committed, you cannot make a citizen’s arrest; only if there has or is a crime being committed.
Law enforcement officers need to uphold the law in order to enforce it, so police officers must have a strong sense of right and wrong and they must generally exhibit and encourage good behavior to the public. This sense of right and wrong and the desire to do good in the community is perhaps the most important trait a police officer needs to have. Police officers often find themselves in high-stress, volatile situations. At the other end of the spectrum, they deal with a lot of mundane, routine patrols. They deal with dishonest and dangerous people, and also victimized and abused people.
To follow the code of ethics are the basic duties of the employees. For those reasons, to adopt the code of ethics in the County of San Diego is important to keep the county’s public good and goals. G.M Financial Corporation The main purpose of ethics in the G.M Financial Corp. guide principle of business conduct rule for employees with customers, vendors. The G.M’s ethics are basically all G.M employees and they follow the ethics for their business, behavior and conduct. According to the G.M Financial Corp.’s of code of ethics, GM Financial’s mission is to create value for our stakeholders by constantly improving our services, investing in innovative solutions and information-based strategies, and promoting a culture of teamwork, excellence and integrity
If an officer follows the code of ethics and lives by it then it will help increase the ability for the officer to effectively function. •As a Law Enforcement Officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the Constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice (Policecodes, 2012). •I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all; maintain courageous calm in the face of danger, scorn, or ridicule; develop self-restraint; and be constantly mindful of the welfare of others. Honest in thought and deed in both my personal and official life, I will be exemplary in obeying the laws of the land and the regulations of my department. Whatever I see or hear of a confidential nature or that is confided to me in my official capacity will be kept ever secret unless revelation is necessary in the performance of my duty (Policecodes, 2012).
Law enforcement agencies today still patrol the streets with the goal to prevent crimes. Public approval and cooperation were the two principals of effective policing. Peel stated that police should perform duties upon public approval and must secure the cooperation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to maintain the public’s respect (Larrabee, A. 2012). Police need to understand the different cultures which can be accomplished by training and education.
It is important that every law enforcement officer understand it is their obligation to investigate complaints from community members. It is even more important to know there should be consequences for complaints or misconduct allegations that are found to be true. Law enforcement officers have an obligation to prove to the community they can be trusted and this principle ensures that. In the City and County of San Francisco the Office of Citizen Complaints accepts and conducts investigations regarding these citizen complaints. In addition to these investigations it is important for law enforcement officers to report inappropriate conduct they witness to their supervisor as well.
Police Brutality Police officers are tasked to protect and serve, that is there job. Everyday police officers risk their lives to protect ours. In some cases officers must use force to contain an unruly suspect and/or protect their own or another life. Police officers are given certain guidelines they must follow when deciding if force is necessary. Officers must use the minimum amount of force necessary when trying to contain a suspect, but that is not always the case.
An integral component to the infrastructure of government is law enforcement. In recent years, police actions, particularly police abuse has come into view of a wide, public and critical eye. While citizens worry about protecting themselves from criminals, it has now been shown that they must also keep a watchful eye on those who are supposed to protect and serve. This paper will discuss the types of police abuse prevalent today, including the use of firearms and recovery of private information. I will also discuss what and how citizens’ rights are taken advantage of by the police.