Case Summary: Right Vs. Right Ethical Dilemma
Scenario: Right vs. Right Ethical Dilemma
It was another typical Friday night in the City of Franklin. Officer Platt was following his normal patrol routes stopping occasional vehicles for traffic and vehicle infractions. On this same night Richard Hansen, a local business owner, was making his way home from work at around 1 am. Richard Hansen is also a very well known individual in this community. He supports multiple programs including Pee Wee Football and Little League baseball teams. Many people admire Richard Hansen and consider him a model citizen. At around 1:10 AM Officer Platt noticed a vehicle that was driving with expired plates. This is considered a fairly minor infraction that many veteran officers would ignore, however being …show more content…
In many situations police must use discretion, and according to Kantian (deontological) reasoning one should “act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. Therefore in this situation Officer Platt is making an ethical decision because he is willing that in this situation an officer should always issue a DUI. Most human beings would agree this is the correct decision because driving under the influence is very dangerous. In this situation, if he did not issue a DUI he would be willing that officers should never issue DUI’s. This would create a dangerous environment because not all individuals handle their alcohol the same. Some people with a .07 blood alcohol level are very impaired. Therefore from the deontological perspective this would be unethical. Choosing to issue of DUI can also be looked at through a teleological perspective using both situational ethics and utilitarianism. Using Situational Ethics Officer Platt’s decision to issue a DUI is ethical because the ends justify the means. By issuing a DUI (means) Officer Platt is correcting a destructive habit (ends). A utilitarian would argue that issuing a DUI is the correct action because it creates the greatest good for the greatest number. Mr. Hansen’s unhappiness about getting a DUI is outweighed by the happiness of the community that a driver under the influence of alcohol is off the
It was another typical Friday night in the City of Franklin. Officer Platt was following his normal patrol routes stopping occasional vehicles for traffic and vehicle infractions. On this same night Richard Hansen, a local business owner, was making his way home from work at around 1 am. Richard Hansen is also a very well known individual in this community. He supports multiple programs including Pee Wee Football and Little League baseball teams. Many people admire Richard Hansen and consider him a model citizen. At around 1:10 AM Officer Platt noticed a vehicle that was driving with expired plates. This is considered a fairly minor infraction that many veteran officers would ignore, however being …show more content…
In many situations police must use discretion, and according to Kantian (deontological) reasoning one should “act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it should become a universal law”. Therefore in this situation Officer Platt is making an ethical decision because he is willing that in this situation an officer should always issue a DUI. Most human beings would agree this is the correct decision because driving under the influence is very dangerous. In this situation, if he did not issue a DUI he would be willing that officers should never issue DUI’s. This would create a dangerous environment because not all individuals handle their alcohol the same. Some people with a .07 blood alcohol level are very impaired. Therefore from the deontological perspective this would be unethical. Choosing to issue of DUI can also be looked at through a teleological perspective using both situational ethics and utilitarianism. Using Situational Ethics Officer Platt’s decision to issue a DUI is ethical because the ends justify the means. By issuing a DUI (means) Officer Platt is correcting a destructive habit (ends). A utilitarian would argue that issuing a DUI is the correct action because it creates the greatest good for the greatest number. Mr. Hansen’s unhappiness about getting a DUI is outweighed by the happiness of the community that a driver under the influence of alcohol is off the