Integrity, Morality, Ethics and the Law Essay Example
Running Head: INTEGRITY, ETHICS, MORALITY AND THE LAW 1
Integrity, Ethics, Morality and The Law
Amy E. Moody
Strayer University
CRJ 220
INTEGRITY, ETHICS, MORALITY AND THE LAW 2
Integrity, Ethics, Morality and The Law Being a police chief or a county sheriff in today’s society is not an easy job. Society is already over-critical of law enforcement as a whole and being the person at the top of the chain of command unfortunately places the burden of responsibility of any and all actions on him/her. Society demands a higher level of professional conduct, ethical and moral standards than any other profession. I attribute this to the fact that these individuals are the ones responsible for making on the spot decisions as to what is right and wrong and acting upon these perceptions. Webster’s dictionary defines integrity as a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, or incorruptibility. Integrity is one of the essential qualities for law enforcement officers and even more so for a police chief or county sheriff. The reason that the police chief and county sheriff must maintain such a high level of integrity is because we expect and demand that they will be able to effectively uphold the law and do what is right in a case where one of their officers does something morally or ethically wrong. We look to them to be incorruptible, to always do what is right no matter what the circumstance. If integrity didn’t exist, our whole justice system would fall apart and become null and void. Webster’s dictionary defines ethics as the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. I think that sound ethics are also important for a police chief or county sheriff. In the public’s eye, if the police chief or county sheriff is not adhering to a specific code of conduct, they will assume that all personnel under them are also not in compliance and corruption will become the buzz word. We all expect our
Integrity, Ethics, Morality and The Law
Amy E. Moody
Strayer University
CRJ 220
INTEGRITY, ETHICS, MORALITY AND THE LAW 2
Integrity, Ethics, Morality and The Law Being a police chief or a county sheriff in today’s society is not an easy job. Society is already over-critical of law enforcement as a whole and being the person at the top of the chain of command unfortunately places the burden of responsibility of any and all actions on him/her. Society demands a higher level of professional conduct, ethical and moral standards than any other profession. I attribute this to the fact that these individuals are the ones responsible for making on the spot decisions as to what is right and wrong and acting upon these perceptions. Webster’s dictionary defines integrity as a firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values, or incorruptibility. Integrity is one of the essential qualities for law enforcement officers and even more so for a police chief or county sheriff. The reason that the police chief and county sheriff must maintain such a high level of integrity is because we expect and demand that they will be able to effectively uphold the law and do what is right in a case where one of their officers does something morally or ethically wrong. We look to them to be incorruptible, to always do what is right no matter what the circumstance. If integrity didn’t exist, our whole justice system would fall apart and become null and void. Webster’s dictionary defines ethics as the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group. I think that sound ethics are also important for a police chief or county sheriff. In the public’s eye, if the police chief or county sheriff is not adhering to a specific code of conduct, they will assume that all personnel under them are also not in compliance and corruption will become the buzz word. We all expect our