Police officer ethics Essay

Paragraph 1: Ethical Implications of Accepting Free Coffee

It is improper for a police officer to receive a free cup of coffee from a business or a citizen. Even though it is lawful, it might jeopardize the detective’s friendship with the coffee supplier. A police officer has no business accepting presents of any kind from the public. This is because the gifts might be used as gratuities, gaining the giver preferential treatment from the detective. (Miller, 2006). The officer may feel compelled to provide additional services or attention to people who offer free goods, despite the fact that the coffee may be a sign of thanks and appreciation. For instance, a policeman may overly protect a certain coffee house, which offers him or her free coffee thus compromising the security of other shops. As such accepting free coffee is unethical as it changes the working relationship between an officer and the citizens (Caldero & Crank, 2010).

Paragraph 2: Impact on the Six Pillars of Character

The six pillars of character can be negatively affected by accepting free coffee. These backbones require an officer to show trustworthiness and respect to all individuals. As such, accepting free coffee compromises the integrity of the detective, thus leading to the lack of loyalty and respect for people who have nothing to offer. As well, the pillars of responsibility and justice and fairness are compromised through exempting individuals who offer gifts from following the law (Josephson, 2014). It also negatively influences the ability to make right decisions thus compromising the caring and civic virtue traits of character. According to the power of ethical management, it is bad for an officer to accept free coffee. Although it is legal, accepting this gift violates the code of ethics. As well, it is not balanced because it does not promote win-win situation especially in the long term (Cottone & Claus, 2000). Finally, accepting free coffee may lead to a sense of guilt since it may arouse suspicions of family and significant other, especially if a person of the opposite sex gives the drink (Blanchard & Peale, 2011).

References

Blanchard, K., & Peale, N. V. (2011). The power of ethical management. Random House.

Caldero, M. A., & Crank, J. P. (2010). Police ethics: The corruption of noble cause. Routledge.

Cottone, R. R., & Claus, R. E. (2000). Ethical decision‐making models: A review of the literature. Journal of Counseling & Development, 78(3), 275-283.

Josephson, M. (2014). The six pillars of character: Character counts. Josephson Institute.

Miller, S. (2006). Police ethics. Blackwell Publishing Ltd.