Essay Example on Ethics and Code of Conduct

Ethics and integrity are very important aspects of leadership in the field of law enforcement Law enforcers are held in high esteem because of the nature of their job and therefore they are supposed to live up to those standards They deal with many different people and situations and therefore their contribution to the society is very important Ethics and integrity is important in future career choice for a number of reasons Unethical acts weaken the society For instance if members of the law enforcement mistreat the members of the society people will be afraid to report cases of crime to them Hailey K 2016 This will lead to weak belief in the justice system by the society leading to an increase in lawlessness and the level of crime As a lawyer one is supposed to be aware of biases There are instances where the law and procedures go against one's personal feelings and beliefs This can be a challenge when trying to keep personal biases out of the workplace so as to perform a job satisfactorily 

The differences may be difficult for some people to reconcile Ethics in the community is another important factor to note Law enforcers interact a lot with the community at different levels When law enforcers commit to act in an ethical manner the community will be more willing and open to work with them It creates trust between the two entities and the community who in turn give important information to the law enforcers because of the good relationship Ethics involves doing the right thing and the right thing is based on the values that are held dear by the society There are several aspects in which ethics morality and the law differ in regard to affecting the decisions of my local law enforcement officers Law enforcement officers are expected to act ethically and morally at all time in different situations They are required to follow the established laws and regulations when carrying out their duties and obligations The two aspects that affect the decisions of the law enforcement officers are deontological and teleological theories Deontological theory focuses on doing what is right irrespective of the outcome of consequences Fisher C B 2012 It is grounded on the belief that how and why a person does something is more important than the results that it produces therefore law enforcement officers are supposed to act in the right manner when making decision irrespective of the outcome that will be associated with their right action On the other hand teleological theory holds the view that the end justifies the means Accordingly the law enforcement officers are expected to act in a manner that will produce good results irrespective of their actions as long as it produces good results then they will have acted ethically Ethics morality and the law differ in the process of decision making process 

Morality is the values and beliefs that a person holds on what is good or bad Ethics are set of standards that determine a person's behavior and help him to make a decision on how respond during different situations The laws are the set rules that are in place that defines what is good and what is bad Ethics helps the law enforcement officers to make good decisions according to the law There are several ways that the law enforcement officers can use ethics morality and the code of conduct in both their professional and personal lives The law enforcement officers are supposed to be people of integrity both in their professional and personal lives Integrity enables an officer to relate well with his colleagues at work and other members of the society It encourages people to be open to one another because it creates trust Another important aspect is honesty Honesty is a virtue that is important both professionally and in personal life Kramer D K 2014 When a law enforcement officer is deemed to be honest he will be in a position to interact freely with people both in his personal life and professional life People will be comfortable approaching and talking to him There are several important aspects of the code of conduct of the state of Maryland as they relate to law enforcement activities in that state One of them is in regard to filing a complaint Anyone is allowed to file a complaint with the commission on violation of public ethics law by official lobbyist or employee Hailey K 2016 The law requires that the complaint be in writing and signed under oath The other aspect is on local county and municipal government The commission lacks jurisdiction over local county and municipal employees and it cannot accept complains against them Those complain are supposed to be directed to the local county and municipal ethics board or commission