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Ethics: How Essential Is It?
By: Mark
Sullivan, PhD, University of Connecticut
Lieutenant Darren Stewart, MBA,
Stonington PD
Sergeant Joan Smith arrives for work at her police department fifteen minutes
early. She likes working midnights and enjoys working at what she feels is an
excellent police department. Most of all, she enjoys the teamwork of her shift,
because she has a motivated group of officers working for her. Sergeant Smith is
a good employee and does an outstanding job for her police department.
As she walks down the hallway to the
Sergeants office she says to herself another midnight shift.I hope that it
will be a quiet one this morning-I have a lot of work to do. The stack of
paperwork from the previous mornings four arrests still awaits her attention,
as well as, evaluations for the past six- month period. She makes her way to
roll call and speaks with Sergeant Jones as he goes off duty. A quiet second
shiftthank god-maybe it will carry over. The roll-call room phone rings as she
walks in and the dispatcher tells her that Officer Mack just called and he will
be 15-minutes late (no big deal-she says to herself), but the dispatcher then
adds, I hope he is not drunk againyou know it was the big neighborhood party
for him today and he did not sound good on the phone. Sgt. Smiths hopes for a
quiet night may have just changed. She had heard the rumors of Macks heavy
drinking as of late, but she never imagined that it would become a work issue,
again. Again, because 5 years earlier Mack was suspended for drinking on-duty.
Officer Davis, who is in the roll call room then remarks doesnt he have enough
common sense to call in sick? Thank god youre working tonight Sarge, at least
we know he wont get screwed again! Do you want me to give him a ride home this
time when he gets in?
This is the type of ethical situation that police officers and police
supervisors today may have to face. How important are ethics for police
departments? What will Sgt. Smith do? How will she handle this issue? What
training has she had that can help her in this matter? Will she allow Officer
Davis to give Mack a ride home if he is indeed drunk? What about him driving
right now? Should she alert other units still on the road? Is she over reacting?
These are all very tough questions that Sgt. Smith must now face. This incident
may indeed test her leadership abilities.
When meeting with police officers of all ranks, including chiefs, we have heard
some of the following: We just dont have those sorts of problems. We have
good people in our department, so we dont worry about ethics violations. Our
people know the difference between right and wrong, thats why they are police
officers to begin with! Sgt. Smith also felt that way about her officers and
department, now this morning she must face a very important issue. An ethical
issue, no doubt!
We accept the positions noted above as opinions held by stalwart members of
police departments who feel they dont have a problem within their ranks. But
thats when the tough questions begin to surface. If we dont need ethics
training, how do we explain not only the violations that bring so much negative
attention to departments across the state, but the frequency and seriousness of
the crimes committed by police officers? Sgt. Smith may have some very difficult
decisions to make on her shift. Decisions that may affect more than just Officer
Macks career. They could affect her own career!
Lets be honest, when one department has a problem it does reflect negatively on
all police departments and the negative has been on the front page far too
often. For example, negative front-page articles are prevalent about police
officers being arrested, police officers resigning in the face of scandals,
Officers being fired for lying to their Chiefs, and police Chiefs being hired to
clean up police departments. In each case the department involved received
major disapproving publicity and the confidence of the public in the department
was seriously eroded. Something needs to be done that helps minimize the lapses
and enhances the opportunity for officers to operate in the highest ethical
manner possible.
Training with firearms and other use of force issues, identification of
narcotics, investigative skills and legal updates, are all a very important part
of being a police officer in Connecticut. It has been determined that officers,
to maintain proficiency in these areas, need refreshers, so that they will
respond appropriately and professionally whenever those skills are called for in
the line of duty. No municipal administrator or Police Chief questions the need
for this training; especially the Risk Managers, since it helps limit the
municipalitys level of financial exposure when officers are involved in
difficult and sometimes life threatening situations.
Without current training for their officers, both the municipality and the
administration leave themselves open for criticism in the political arena,
commonly called public opinion. In the most severe instances, the disposition of
civil and sometimes criminal proceedings will pivot on when and in what training
did the officer participate. Close scrutiny of the training itself and the
records kept become an important part of any proceeding that involves training.
Yet, if we were to conduct a longitudinal study on the frequency with which
police officers are challenged in traditional areas of training and then compare
that to the daily ethical challenges that become the focus of media attention,
the frequency of the latter would easily overshadow everything else. Think of
the most recent cases both nationally and within our own state where members of
police departments, sometimes with years of experience, and holding the most
important positions within a department, are charged with unethical,
career-ending actions tarnishing everyone within the profession. Is this
something that we should be concerned with, or is this just the result of a few
bad apples? What is ethical behavior? What can we do to limit the negative
exposure, which so many departments have gone through recently because of
unethical decisions of a few police officers?
Unlike firearms proficiency, or the ability to handle an automobile in
challenging environments, both of which produce tangible results, ethical
behavior is a more conceptual model that is conveniently and too often easily
set aside. That is, until a decision is made that proves to be unethical and
becomes public. For instance, there was the recent tragic end of a Chiefs
career and life after he murdered his wife and committed suicide, leaving his
children and family devastated, and the Tacoma, Washington Police Department
closely examining their hiring practices. The hiring of a new Police Chief in
the City of Providence, Rhode Island to clean up the department, restore trust
is of great concern. Why is a new Chief needed that must restore trust? What was
happening before? Doesnt the hiring of a Chief to clean up a department send
a message that the department is dirty? What do the citizens of these cities
think? How do they react to these unsettling issues within the ranks of the
organizations they trust and pay to protect them and administer justice?
What can we do? The first and ultimately probably the most important step is to
have the Chief set high ethical standards and then hold people accountable.
Tough questions must be asked. Audits must be conducted. Investigations must be
instituted where wrongs are suspected. A clear message needs to be sent that
ethical behavior on the part of all police employees is a main priority of the
organization. Without this first step, everything that follows will quickly be
compromised and the most praised ethical standards announced and supported by
the chief/administration will become the latest fatality in the fight between
right and wrong.
The second step is to educate your people on what is expected, how to reach that
goal, and the penalty that must be paid for failure. This sounds inflexible,
even hardhearted, and it is for an excellent reason. Ethical behavior on the
part of police officers is something that the public and our political system
insist on and is required, if we are to maintain our system of justice. Without
consistent highly ethical behavior on the part of officers, which exceeds the
norm of the community, we will see a rapid undercutting of our traditional
social/political values and a decent in the confidence of the public in the
abilities and reputations of our police forces. Lets face facts-a lack of
public confidence plus a shoddy reputation will equal smaller budget support,
increased employee retention issues and a degradation of community safety.
The educational requirement, much like that we already use in firearms
proficiency, is not fulfilled in a 3 hour class at the academy, or the
occasional nod once every third year, but through ongoing high expectations,
formal refresher classes and accountability. That time must be spent in
reviewing the performance expectations and support apparatus designed to help
officers succeed in maintaining the high level of ethical behavior expected of
the profession. Classes on this topic must be delivered in a manner that
encourages participation, reflection and questions, so that everyone leaves the
class with renewed commitment and the tools necessary to be successful. Case
studies, careful examination of known pitfalls and careful consideration of how
officers identify and then respond to ethical challenges are all key components
in raising the bar and helping police officers to succeed. Just as we would not
expect an officer to master and maintain the skills honed on the firing line
with one class during a career, neither should we expect them to meet or exceed
the high ethical expectations of the Chief without similar training on a regular
basis. Without a serious commitment of time and resources, the lip service given
to ethical behavior will continue to come back and cause immeasurable damage as
ethical lapses are exposed and give the profession a black eye.
The outcomes of an effective ethics program are extremely attractive from both
an individual or organizational perspective and include:
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An immediate impact on
unethical (and sometimes illegal) behavior
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An acute awareness of ethical
(legal) issues
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For officers, an opportunity
and willingness to seek ethical advice
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An increased willingness to
report unethical behavior by officers
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An understanding of how
important it is NOT to keep bad news from the Chief
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An established support system
of organizational values to be used in making ethical judgments
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An increase in commitment to
the department by Officers
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Meeting/exceeding the ethical
expectations of the community
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An increase in the level of
support from the community
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Becoming true role models
within the community
Ethics training should be initiated for the right reasons and not just be a
reaction to an ethical lapse within a department. Ethics training should not be
a Band Aid to the ethical wounds of a department facing criticism, but more like
vitamins that should be available to police officers on a daily basis through
example and training to keep it strong and healthy. We have presented some
challenging questions that can be applied to any police department willing to
examine their own position on what is expected of their officers ethically. The
main point is that high ethical standards must become part of the culture within
all police organizations. Police departments must not wait for the negative
headline announcing an early retirement or the hearing where an officer is being
fired, to seriously address these issues. Ethics must become as important for
every police officer as strapping on their duty belt and gun.
About the
Authors:
Dr. Mark Sullivan is an Associate
Professor with the University of Connecticut. He is the director of the Labor
Education Center in the College of Continuing Studies with over 25 years in
adult education. Dr. Sullivan has worked with companies around the State dealing
with labor and conflict resolution issues, conceptually based workplace literacy
and ethics. Dr. Sullivan has a PhD in administration from the University of
Connecticut, a Masters Degree from Rutgers University, and a B.A. from
Providence College.
Darren Stewart is a Lieutenant
with the Stonington Police Department with twenty years of experience. He has
held assignments that include DARE Officer, Statewide Narcotics Task Force,
patrol Sergeant, Detective Sergeant, and Lieutenant. He currently serves as the
training commander. Lieutenant Stewart. holds a Masters Degree in Business
Administration and a graduate certificate in Human Resource Management from
Salve Regina University, a Bachelors Degree from the University of Connecticut
and an Associates Degree from the Community College of Rhode Island. He is on
the part-time facility at both Salve Regina University and the University of
Connecticut.
Dr. Sullivan and Lieutenant
Stewart co-lecture on ethics and leadership issues that business and police
departments face today
**First Printed in the Winter
2003/2004 Issue of Connecticut police Chief Magazine**
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