The Role of Code of Conduct in Maintaining Police Integrity

This essay discusses police misconduct, defining it as illegal or inappropriate actions by police officers during their duties, often leading to injustice. It emphasizes the importance of a Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy, highlighting measures like civilian involvement in investigations to curb misconduct. The essay underscores the necessity for officers to respect civil and constitutional rights, obey laws, and avoid personal biases. It also addresses issues such as using office for personal gain, maintaining confidentiality, avoiding intimidation, and preventing excessive force during arrests. The importance of mutual respect among colleagues, regardless of rank or background, is stressed as essential for effective community policing and justice dispensation. The essay concludes that adhering to guidelines and codes of conduct enables law enforcers to perform their duties as expected.

Running Head: CODE OF CONDUCT
Police Misconduct
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Affiliation
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Code of Conduct
Code of Conduct and Ethics Policy for the Tidewater Police Department
Police misconduct refers to illegal actions or inappropriate conducts that police officers
engage in while carrying out their official duties. In many cases, misconduct leads to
instances where there is a miscarriage of justice. Segregation and discrimination against the
public are some of the instances where misconduct is commonly seen. These acts lead to
obstruction of justice. The government has put in place measures to curb police misconduct.
This includes the inclusion of civilian agencies during investigation processes as well as
enforcing policies that highlight the benefit of following the Code of Conduct and ethical
policies, (Jagger, 2018, 23). These measures ensure that police officer and other law
enforcers are equipped with essential guidelines which help them perform their duties
diligently and in accordance with the law.
Police Officers have to respect civil rights and constitutional rights of all people. It is
essential for them to adhere to this since it is the norm that suspects are innocent until
proven guilty. Suspects also have the right to certain freedoms such as freedom to speech,
healthcare, and equal treatment. Police officers must also obey all laws governing the
country as well as the regulations used by the police departments. While in the line of duty,
law enforcers should behave in a behavioral way by avoiding personal feelings, animosities
or prejudices. In certain situations, friendships should not be used to make decisions or
influence the decisions, (Lee, 2018, 629).
It is also essential for law enforcers to dedicate their lives to the work they do. It is unethical
for a police officer to have divided attention. This is mainly seen in situations where they use

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Code of Conduct
they use their offices or ranks for individual gain, receive personal rewards and gratuities or
favor certain individuals for monetary gain.
Confidentiality is key in any engagement. Keeping confidential information about certain
activities or records should be adhered to at all times. This is in relation to respecting the
office as well as information given by citizens. Many officers are known to take their
positions diligently and perform their duties as expected. It is only a few officers who taint
the image of the entire police force. In addition, the public gauges their performance basing
on how appropriate and courteous the law enforcers undertake their duties, (Alain &Carrer,
2018, 10 ).
Intimidation is also an aspect that should be avoided. Suspects and citizens should never be
intimidated especially during arrests and interrogations. Law enforcers are supposed to be
part f the community and work hand in hand with citizens so that there is sacksful
community policing and dispensation of justice, (Guise et al., 2018, 52). While making
arrests, excessive force should not be used because this contributes to a violation of human
rights.
In a nutshell, codes of conduct do not only apply to how the police should interact with the
community, but also with their colleagues. Mutual respect should exist between all
employees despite the issue of ranks, gender, race or religion. By following guidelines and
codes of conduct, law enforcers are able to perform their duties as expected.

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Code of Conduct
References
Alain, M., Rousseau, M., & Carrer, F. (2018). Measuring Police Integrity: Futile Exercise or
Worthwhile Effort in Personnel Management? Revisiting Survey Data from Two
Previous Studies in Order to Assess the Psychometric Qualities of the Klockars
Questionnaire. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 1-13.
Lee, C. (2018). Reforming the Law on Police Use of Deadly Force: De-Escalation, Preseizure
Conduct, and Imperfect Self-Defense. U. Ill. L. Rev., 629.
Jagger, P. (2018). The Ethics of Learning. IT NOW, 60(2), 22-23.
Guise, A., Melo, J., Mittal, M. L., Rafful, C., Cuevas-Mota, J., Davidson, P., ... & Werb, D.
(2018). A fragmented code: The moral and structural context for providing assistance
with injection drug use initiation in San Diego, USA. International Journal of Drug
Policy, 55, 51-60.