Values and morals go hand in hand with the decisions police officers make and the duties they perform. The police officer is the only occupation where you can take one’s life. With that kind of power it is essential that an officer cherishes their values and morals. Part of being an officer means balancing decisions. Religion, experience, professionalism, personal, and legal issues all impact our decision making. An example of balancing legal and personal issues is the use of the officer’s discretion to give a ticket. It his legal obligation to ticket speeders, however the subject speeding had a significant reason relating to a medical issue. Now the officer has to balance his decision making, which varies from officer to officer.
The New Orleans Police Department in the early 1990’s was the most corrupt police agency in all America. This department set an example of a police force full of officers that lacked any kind of values or morals. Without an integrity and criminal background check many recruits entered the department that did not posses police like qualities. The police force was accountable for robbing drug dealers, banks and committing murders. A contributing factor for them committing these crimes were the low pay. Many officers felt they had to supplement their income with illegal acts. Another factor was the atmosphere they surrounded themselves around. Some Police officers worked in bars and nightclubs as security in an atmosphere that breeds corruption. The public lost all trust in the police and would stop calling them to report crime. It took years and a lot of weeding out to finally get department back up and running. This department now serves as a model of how essential it is to find an officer those posses positive values and morals.
Values and Morals also impact the decisions officers make within their subculture. Are they willing to rat on another officer? An officer that is loyal to his partner and agency is highly unlikely to. This will form a tight knit group within the agency which is good because everyone feels like someone’s got their back. Dealing with victims is another issue that falls under the police subculture. Does the officer posses low or high self esteem? In that kind of work it is easy to take your work home with you. An officer who has high self esteem is less likely to engage in this kind of activity. An ideal police officer in our day and age is someone who has high values and morals if all officers were like that there would be a lot of more trust within them.
Legitimacy of police is largely attributed to fairness among many others factors. Do we view the police as fair? This is going to determine if were going to call them for help. Trust is a big issue as well, especially for minorities. If we view the police as legitimate is going to determine how well we cooperate with them. Another is second hand experience, which the information is usually passed around social groups. The police need the public’s cooperation as well as them to abide by the laws which they enforce. Therefore they want to be viewed as legitimate to society.
The Whole Rodney king incident tainted the LAPD’s reputation. Many blacks as well as hispanics lost all respect and trust for that department during that era. They began rebelling and rioting to protest. All social order was lost, and so was the public’s perception about police legitimacy. According to Tom Tyler, “To be effective as maintainers of social order the police must be widely obeyed”. (Tyler). Being a minority in our society it is hard to trust a white cop and that may lead to many other issues. However a Caucasian may have total trust in police officer.
Legitimacy is related to our democratic values as we are a country based on equal rights. Therefore it is the duty of law enforcement to act in professional and equal manner to all citizens of the United States whether they be black white or brown. Another democratic value we cherish is the balance of power. As local authorities as well as legislative authorities can control police power and change procedures. There is also an internal investigations unit that moniters police misbehavior.
As we move more into the twentieth century our country is becoming more diverse from ethnicities to religion. I would like to see a lot more of minorities be hired into the police department. Just as how a white person is likely to trust a white cop. I’m sure this can be applied to all ethnicities. Finally It essential for all law enforcement well aware of that and keep a legitimate perception in the public’s opinion. This will significantly make their job alot easier.
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