Cj340 Unit 1 Research Paper
Unit 1 Branched Scenario
Colleen Garland
CJ340: Applied Criminal Justice Ethics
Kaplan University
Abstract
In the Unit1 branched scenario I am an officer working the midnight shift with my partner. We pull over a vehicle that does not have functioning taillights. My partner has a bad feeling about the driver and asks him to exit the vehicle, searches inside, and finds a handgun concealed under the front seat. My partner then proceeds to arrest the driver and at the station there is a hit on the gun being evidence in a homicide. When confronted with this information, the driver confesses. My partner tells me his going to lie in his report about where the gun was, I try to convince him to be truthful, and I report the incident to my supervisor who informs me that my partner already told him what happened and that I was mistaken about where he found the gun. I will be answering where in this situation there was a loss of ethics and how I would cope with being ostracized by my peers and superiors for doing the right thing.
Unit …show more content…
1 Branched Scenario
Defining Ethics
Ethics can be defined as a set of morals that uphold honesty, integrity, and the ability to know what the right thing to do is and to do it (Klein, 2012). An individual who is ethical will, in any given situation, look inside for what the right thing to do is and then follow through. Someone who has strong morals will not assume the position that two wrongs make a right, and in the event that a moral dilemma does arise, will do his best to avoid temptation to err in judgment in order to get a desired result.
Losing Sight of Ethics
In the Unit 1 branched scenario, my partner lost sight of his ethics when he decided to falsify his report. As tempting as it may have been to lie and say the handgun was in plain sight in order to possibly put away a murderer, it was completely unethical. Making a bad situation even worse, my partner asked me to back him up in his error in judgment and lie for him. The final straw came when my supervisor backed my partner up and informed me that I was mistaken about the location of the handgun- that it was in plain sight and not concealed.
Coping With No Support.
Not having the support from my supervisor or administration would be a devastating blow; members of law enforcement are supposed to be held to the highest ethical code there is. Without the support from my supervisor, I may have to ask for a transfer. Something such as the scenario that took place is a serious matter, and if falsifying reports in order to possibly get an indictment and conviction is how that department works, then I would rather not work there. There may be other officers in the department who have a strong moral background, but people in all professions learn from their leaders. If the man at the top accepts the fact that officers must do whatever it takes to catch the bad guy, then it is reasonable to assume that there are officers who will do just that (Cartwright, 2010). If a transfer is out of the question, then I would try to find a way to improve moral and reinforce the code of
ethics.
Although I May Be Ostracized. I am not afraid of working alone or being stared at. I have worked in situations where I have been disliked. My motto is: I am not here to make friends, I am here to do the job to the best of my ability. If I make friends ok, if not I do not mind. It sounds harsh and most definitely unlike a team player would sound, but the reality is that if one focuses solely on what coworkers think, then he may lose sight of what his job is and even worse he may lose himself. If a good officer gets caught up in how other less well behaved officers view him, he may eventually follow the same path as his peers.
References
Cartwright, G. (2010, September 8). Maintaining Ethical Behavior. FBI. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/august-2010/perspective
Klein, C. (2012, October 23). Police Ethics: The Creed. LawOfficer: Police & Law Enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.lawofficer.com/article/leadership/police-ethics-creed
Colleen Garland
CJ340: Applied Criminal Justice Ethics
Kaplan University
Abstract
In the Unit1 branched scenario I am an officer working the midnight shift with my partner. We pull over a vehicle that does not have functioning taillights. My partner has a bad feeling about the driver and asks him to exit the vehicle, searches inside, and finds a handgun concealed under the front seat. My partner then proceeds to arrest the driver and at the station there is a hit on the gun being evidence in a homicide. When confronted with this information, the driver confesses. My partner tells me his going to lie in his report about where the gun was, I try to convince him to be truthful, and I report the incident to my supervisor who informs me that my partner already told him what happened and that I was mistaken about where he found the gun. I will be answering where in this situation there was a loss of ethics and how I would cope with being ostracized by my peers and superiors for doing the right thing.
Unit …show more content…
1 Branched Scenario
Defining Ethics
Ethics can be defined as a set of morals that uphold honesty, integrity, and the ability to know what the right thing to do is and to do it (Klein, 2012). An individual who is ethical will, in any given situation, look inside for what the right thing to do is and then follow through. Someone who has strong morals will not assume the position that two wrongs make a right, and in the event that a moral dilemma does arise, will do his best to avoid temptation to err in judgment in order to get a desired result.
Losing Sight of Ethics
In the Unit 1 branched scenario, my partner lost sight of his ethics when he decided to falsify his report. As tempting as it may have been to lie and say the handgun was in plain sight in order to possibly put away a murderer, it was completely unethical. Making a bad situation even worse, my partner asked me to back him up in his error in judgment and lie for him. The final straw came when my supervisor backed my partner up and informed me that I was mistaken about the location of the handgun- that it was in plain sight and not concealed.
Coping With No Support.
Not having the support from my supervisor or administration would be a devastating blow; members of law enforcement are supposed to be held to the highest ethical code there is. Without the support from my supervisor, I may have to ask for a transfer. Something such as the scenario that took place is a serious matter, and if falsifying reports in order to possibly get an indictment and conviction is how that department works, then I would rather not work there. There may be other officers in the department who have a strong moral background, but people in all professions learn from their leaders. If the man at the top accepts the fact that officers must do whatever it takes to catch the bad guy, then it is reasonable to assume that there are officers who will do just that (Cartwright, 2010). If a transfer is out of the question, then I would try to find a way to improve moral and reinforce the code of
ethics.
Although I May Be Ostracized. I am not afraid of working alone or being stared at. I have worked in situations where I have been disliked. My motto is: I am not here to make friends, I am here to do the job to the best of my ability. If I make friends ok, if not I do not mind. It sounds harsh and most definitely unlike a team player would sound, but the reality is that if one focuses solely on what coworkers think, then he may lose sight of what his job is and even worse he may lose himself. If a good officer gets caught up in how other less well behaved officers view him, he may eventually follow the same path as his peers.
References
Cartwright, G. (2010, September 8). Maintaining Ethical Behavior. FBI. Retrieved from http://www.fbi.gov/stats-services/publications/law-enforcement-bulletin/august-2010/perspective
Klein, C. (2012, October 23). Police Ethics: The Creed. LawOfficer: Police & Law Enforcement. Retrieved from http://www.lawofficer.com/article/leadership/police-ethics-creed