POLICE ETHICS

• POLICE AND THE LAW

•The Police must apply the
LAW fairly, evenhandedly
with a view to promote
justice. LAWS are created by
legislatures presumably for the
best interest of all the people.
•Philippines, like other countries
is a country of laws and
constitutional principles, the main
purpose of which is to create
society where everybody is free
to pursue whatever one believes
is the good in life.
•The idea of “good life” is a life that
is personally satisfying and
meaningful which is the dominant
motivation of every person.
•The Police must understand the true
meaning of JUSTICE before acting and
must behave in an honorable way as law
enforcer.
•He must be fair in the application of the
laws of the land to everybody irrespective
of the status of any individual in a given
community.
In a great extent, the actions of the
police determine what the law really
means.
The Police make the written laws of
the penal code (the system of legal
punishment in a particular place).
•Most analysts and well informed police
officers believe that no matter what the
law states, no matter how penal code
sections read, no matter what training
teaches, & no matter what police
leadership may want to tell us, the true
meaning of the law on the streets is
determined by police officers.
Police Officers bear a tremendous
and unique responsibility. When they
decide on a day to day basis where
to focus their attention, whom to
arrest, and when to use force, they
determine the effects of legal system
that will have on the lives of
individual citizen.
•Police Officers cannot be
considered to be competent if they
do not support their behavior on
the street with personal ethics.
•Ethics and Competence are largely
determined by individual police
officer’s character.
•The world is full of good, honest and
competent police officers who have never
studied Ethics. Good ethical conduct
comes primarily from what a person
already has before he/she entered in the
Police Academy. It comes from a person’s
character and upbringing.
What is JUSTICE?
•Justice as Process – prevails when
people under similar circumstances are
treated in an equal and fair manner
before the law.
•Justice as Substance – prevails when
people receive from the law what they
deserve to receive.
Three Major functions of the Police:
1. Enforce the law
2. Maintain Order
3. Provide Community Service
Why Police Officers should study ETHICS:
1. Limited Police Academy
Training in Ethics
2. Limited Academic Training in Ethics
3. The Intellectual Capabilities of Today’s
Officers.