Republic of the Philippines

Philippine Countryville College

P2B Sayre Highway, Panadtalan, Maramag, Bukidnon

MODULE IN CRIM 4 (PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS)

COURSE MODULE
1st Semester SY 2020-2021

MODULE 5,6,7 & 8

CHERRY ANN M. VELASCO RC.

COURSE INSTRUCTOR

Name of Student: _____________________________________________________

Course & Section: ____________________________________________________

Date Released: ______________________________________________________

Date Submitted: ______________________________________________________

 PHILIPPINE COUNTRYVILLE COLLEGE
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN CRIMINOLOGY
MODULE in CRIMINOLOGY 6 (POLICE PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND ETHICAL
STANDARDS)

Course: CRIMINOLOGY 6
Course Title: PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT AND ETHICAL STANDARDS
Course Credit: 3 Units
Contact Hours/week: 4 hours
Prerequisite: None

Course Description:

This course is an integration of values education, police ethics and police community relations
(PCR). Initially, the study covers the general concepts and foundations of ethics with emphasis on the
right Filipino values for national transformation and reformation of the Philippine police system.

Discussions gradually focus on the effects of ethics and values in the society, the government
and especially in the PNP. Ethics and values are studied as applied to the present Law Enforcement
Code of Ethics and Police Professional Conduct as embodied under Section 1, Rule II o the PNP
Rules and Regulations. Final topics deal on the development of PCR as well as the philosophies and
foundations of good police community and human relations.

Course Outcomes: At the end of the course, the students are expected to:

1. Explain the foundations of ethics and values.

2. Discuss the salient points of the PNP code of professional conduct.
3. Evaluate the PNP core values and virtues and its impact to their performance.
4. Recite the law enforcement code of ethics in today’s setting.
5. Appraise the moral/ethical weaknesses of the PNP causing incompetence and propose a solution
for the problem.
6. Provide specific recommendations to upgrade the PNP capabilities after evaluating the law
enforcement code of ethics, the code of professional conduct, ethical standards, and the PCR
system.
OVERVIEW

The Code of Ethics has been produced by the College of Policing in its role as the professional
body for policing. It sets and defines the exemplary standards of behaviour for everyone who works in
policing.

We are committed to ensuring that the Code of Ethics is not simply another piece of paper,
poster or laminate, but is at the heart of every policy, procedure, decision and action in policing.

Evidence tells us that simply having a Code of Ethics is not enough to reduce unprofessional
behaviour - it needs to be talked about as an everyday business consideration. If the public don't
have the confidence to trust the police to be fair, acting ethically and in their best interests, they are
less likely to assist the police in upholding the law.

The Code of Ethics is about self-awareness, ensuring that everyone in policing feels able to
always do the right thing and is confident to challenge colleagues irrespective of their rank, role or
position.

(https://www.college.police.uk/What-we-do/Ethics/Pages/archive_DO_NOT_DELETE/Code-of-
Ethics.aspx)
MODULE 5,6,7,8: 16HRS

POLICE ETHICS

LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the lesson, students are expected to:

1. Explain the six components of the Code of Ethics and the seven Standards of Professional
Conduct;
2. Understand the Cannons of Police Ethics and Ethical issues.
3. Explain the five modern ethical issues in law enforcement

Teaching-Learning Activity/Lesson Proper:

The Police and the Law

The police must apply the law fairly, even-handedly 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 a society where everybody is free to pursue what he or she, individually
believes is the good in life.
The idea of “good life”, a life that is personally satisfying and meaning is the dominant motivation
of every person.
Justice provides the environment within which the pursuit of the good is possible. When justice is
successful, people are treated fairly relative to each other. Justice involves allocation of resources
and rights in a way that allows individuals to obtain what is it, that they are due and what they
deserve.
The police must understand the true meaning of justice before acting and must behave in an
honourable way as law enforcer. In a true sense, the police must be fain the application of the laws of
the land to everybody irrespective of the status of said individual in a given community.
In a great extent, the actions of the police determine what the really means.

The police make the written laws of the penal code to life for the public .
Most analyst 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, and 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 said officers 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 will have on the lives or individual citizen.
Police officers cannot be considered to be competent if they do not support their behaviour on the
street with a personal ethics that is thoughtfully created and maintained. 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 or she entered in the
police academy. It comes from a person’s character and upbringing.

Definition of Justice

Justice as a process – Justice prevails when people under similar circumstances are treated in an
equal and fair manner before the law.

Justice as substance – Justice prevails when people receive from the law what they deserve to
receive.

Three(3) major functions of the police which are admittedly vague and often in conflict with
each other.
1. Enforce the law
2. Maintain order
3. Provide community service

The Need for Police to Study Ethics

Why is it important for the police officers today to discuss morality in relation to their work? Here are
some of the reason why:
1. Limited Police Academy Training in Ethics- A systematic treatment of ethics, even if in a
short period is necessary to the make the connection between the police officer’s duty the
common good of the community. Police academies offer only three and one half hours
allocation for ethics in their curriculum. This is so inadequate for police officers who always
encounter a sort of ethical dilemma in the performance of their sworn duties. Several police
officers were charged for misconduct while in the performance of their duties maybe due to the
insufficiency of their knowledge of what ought to be a competent and a professional officer _ a
person who possesses and exhibits good character.
2. Limited Academic Training in Ethics – An increasing number of police recruits who are
graduates for them to exercise their profession as a true professionals police officers. Existing
criminal justice ethics classes tend to discuss ethics from the positive perspective starting with
philosophical considerations of ethics in general and move through analyses of what it means
to be professional police officers.
3. A professional, knowledgeable, competent, and effective police officer must want to include in
his or her body of knowledge expectations of police competence, is an officer with a clear,
ethical understanding of the job and possess good moral character.

Police Professionalism
The first era in the history of policing was introduced by Sir Robert Peel, an English statesmen, with
the establishment of the Metropolitan Police of London in 1829. The members of the Metropolitan
Police were regarded as professional because they were hired, trained and paid to do the job on a full
name basis. These people replace a semi-voluntary system of night watchmen. This is referred to as
“ Political Era” which was followed the Reform Era between 1910 and 1950.
During the Reform Era strict controls were placed on police officers and police organizations in
order to fight the corruption and incompetence of police officers. Chains of Command were tightened,
uniforms and a more military look were harnessed and internal affairs were created to investigate
accusation of police misconduct. The police academy was invented, and training was taken seriously
for professionalizing the police.
Definition of a Professional

1. A professional is anyone who does a job for pay ( A professional athlete as compared to an
amateur.
2. A professional is anyone who looks clean cut, disciplined and polished when on the job ( a
military standard)
3. A professional is anyone who develops and uses a special skill at work ( a carpenter or a
plumber)
4. A professional is anyone who possesses an academic experience and possesses a body of
knowledge that is police work as a profession to which the police officer owes something.
True professionals are embracing the idea that it is a privilege to be a police officer aside from the
benefits and a dynamic work experience, it is also the responsibility and power entrusted to them.
The personal ethics of individual police officers are critical to the impact of criminal justice system.

A Vision of Ethical Policing

The ethically ideal police system would be one with integrity and nothing puzzling about it (I,e.,
there would be no corruption or misconduct). There would be no us-against-them and no disrespect
for the limits of the law or how it is enforced. Everything done in private would be just as if it was done
in public. Mistakes would be treated as learning opportunities, but there would be less of them
because of widespread adherence to the values of probity, propriety, restraint, reasonableness, and
caution.
Recruitment, selection, and training mechanisms would be flawless, with promotion on the basis of
merit, no one being without ample supervision, and the organization giving its personnel whatever
resources they need to perform their work better. There would be “open door” policies to the public
academics, and the media. Nothing the police do or haw they do it would come as a surprise to
anyone. They would conduct themselves, as August Vollmer once said, in ways that make it
impossible for anyone to make a joke about them.
Besides having the public on their side, the police desperately need to have politicians who care
more about the public interest than their own political survival or advancement. Ethical policing works
best in an ethical climate. However, even if the political leaders are a bunch of bunglers, and even if
all society becomes a Sodom and Gomorrah, this is no excuse for the police to abandon their ethics.
Their commitment to a code of ethics is unconditional. You don’t lower your ideals ( or revise your
mission statement) just because circumstances in the environment have changed. The true test of
character is keeping your faith in the face of adversity.

Professional Code of Ethics

Every criminal justice profession and association has “codes of ethics, “cannons” of professional
responsibility, “statements” of values, “ principles” of conduct, “ standards” of practice, and “oaths of
offices, along with “pledges”, “ vows”, “maxims”, “credos”, “prayers”, “tenets”, and “declartions”.
Some are directed to God; others to superiors or the profession; and still others to society as a
whole. Some are regulatory; others are aspirations; some adhere to utilitarianism; others to
deontological ethics; but they all make promises that people commit to keep it as a standard of
performance. A code of ethics, if it is to be used for occupational purposes, must set a standard
above ordinary morality.
Otherwise, there’s no need for a code of ethics at all. This is especially relevant to police work,
where it’s going to take more than just a commitment to being an ordinary, decent human being.
The practice of a profession cannot be regulated entirely by legislation. Each profession therefore
subscribes to a set moral code. This Code of Ethics guides the actuation of a professional where the
law is silent or inadequate.
A Code of Ethics implies that, before anything else, a professional is person who has the
obligation to listen to the “dictates of reason’. The need for it is obviously to the advantage of the
profession.
Codes of ethics have long been associated with professional bodies and groups. In fact, members
of those associations must abide by their codes of ethics. More recently, business organizations have
become aware that they need their own codes of ethical conduct.

So you may have to develop your own code, providing an ideal opportunity to tailor one that fits
the specific needs of your organizations and its people.

Some Important Steps to follow

1. Get started on your code of ethical conduct – Following recent global corporate events and
scandals. We have become increasingly aware of the need for ethical business conduct. The
print and electronic media continue to reveal examples of unethical conduct by global and
emerging corporate organizations, as well as smaller local business. The need for higher
ethical standards in business is obvious.
2. Conduct initial research – as a first step, check for two important ingredients:
2.1 Investigate any current legislative requirements guiding ethical conduct in your field, and
be prepared to take immediate action if any anomalies are uncovered.
2.2 Check the top-five traits or values espoused by your own professional association. Those,
for example, could be “ honestly” “integrity” “objectively” “confidentiality” and “accuracy.
Aligned with those values should be desirable behaviors.
3. Secure Commitment- Staff needs to see that management is serious about ethical conduct
and not just protecting itself and its interests. The type of consultative process will depend on
the size of your organizations, but key staff discussions will focus on values. Don’t assume that
people share common values; identifying those beliefs can’t be rushed. Provide opportunities
for people to discuss in practical terms how a code of ethical conduct will fit into and enhance,
their day-to-day operations.
4. Focus on your organization- Try this three-step approach
4.1 Identify and collect descriptions of major issues in your workplace.
4.2 Select those issues considered to be ethical in nature –dishonesty, discrimination,
unfairness, etc.
4.3 Identify behaviors needed to eliminate the causes of those issues and which values would
generate your preferred behaviors. To minimize dishonesty, for example, you might
promote the value respecting the property of others.’
5. Consider a social audit – A social audit involves asking employees, customers, suppliers,
and others stakeholders whether they believe the organization meets its stated aims on key
issues such as customer service, honesty, integrity, etc. The audit could be conducted as a
survey or involve focus groups. Ideally, the skills of an independent expert would be used with
a brief to provide a snapshot of the organization’s performance and areas for possible
improvement. This information will assist your next step.
6. Assemble high-priority ethical values – From your various forms of data collection, compile
a top-ten list of ethical values. Your list will probably resemble existing values lists, such as the
Josephson Institute of Ethics Pillars of Character’.
7. Compose and circulate a draft code.- Having arrived at your top-ten ethical values, align key
behaviors with each of them. In addition to your top-ten, you could document requirements in
relation to, for example, dress codes, substance abuse, promptness, adhering to instructions
form superiors, , conflict of interest, reliability, confidentiality, acceptance of gifts from
stakeholders, use of the organization’s property for personal purposes, reporting illegal or
questionable activity. It is likely that this list will result from your consultative process. Your
completed draft will probably include:
 An introduction
  A clear definition of mission, objectives, and values
 Guidance on dealings with colleagues, shareholders, stakeholders, suppliers, and
the community.
 Clear expectations of acceptable conduct
 Operating principles and realistic examples
 A formal mechanism for resolving issues.
Invite feedback from as many people in the organization as possible.
8. Adopt the final code- Provide everyone in the organization with a copy of the code, and
include it in induction programs, staff training, and performance appraisals.
9. Institute a procedure for dealing with issues- Appoint an internal ethics management
committee, which among other things, elect an ethics officer who is ideally member or
executive ( international company Raytheon has a Director of Ethics Compliance). Additional
training for this person is desirable, on ways to deal with issues that may arise and how to be
protected, you may decide to use the services of an ethics counsellor.
10. Review be-annually.- To review ethical issues too frequently will risk allenating staff. Indeed,
the review process must be quick, to the point, involve representatives of all areas of the
organization, and acknowledge.

Professional Ethics
Law Enforcement is becoming the next profession. Most peace officers are in favour of this
because such an achievement would lead to an increase in their own personal and social status., not
to mention better pay and working conditions.
Majority, if not, all of the countries through-out the world had taken concrete steps in the direction of
making law enforcement a profession. This has been through the adoption of a professional code of
ethics, state certification of peace officers for basic , intermediate and advance levels, controlled
standards of training.

Today, several colleges in the Philippines are offering the degree, Bachel9r of Science in
Criminology wherein the subjects of Criminal Jurisprudence, Police Organization and Administration,
Law Enforcement Administration, Crime Prevention, Detection, and Investigation, Forensic Sciences
and Police Ethics and Community Relations. To really break the professional barriers, the law
enforcement must have “ horizontally mobility,” that is to say, a law enforcement officer from any level
must be able to move to a different department or agency when such an opening exists.

Should all of the general conditions of a profession come about , law enforcement would still not
become a true profession without the fulfilment of one necessary condition. This condition must really
precede all formal reqiuirements. The condition simply stated, that is, that all law enforcement
personnel be professional in their actions. Professional standing must be earned, and in the filed of
law enforcement, the price can be high. Being a law enforcement officer today is far from being easy,
and any recruit who thinks that it is over will be, is “riding for all a fall, as a law enforcement officer he
can encounter many problems, but it is no where near as difficult as being a truly professional law
enforcement officer.

The Job of the enforcement officer is made more difficult by the changing social patterns in the
locality. There is a present responsibilities that for the parents themselves or the family. They want
the church to take care of the child’s religious foundation, the school of his general and life education,
and the police department, his discipline, and the courts to settle arguments that in that past were
settled among themselves, and so on.

Social institutions cannot replace the family. In any properly functioning society, all segments of that
social order must work together for a common good. A respect for authority and law and order can
only be developed in the home. This is a function that law enforcement cannot perform. When the
family fails in this area, the job of the law enforcement becomes increasingly difficult.

No law enforcement agency can function properly without public support and assistance, yet the
present trend, especially in urban areas, seems to be developing an apathy toward this responsibility.
The expression, “its your job, that’s what you are getting paid for” is becoming more common. It
stems from the trend toward unwarranted delegation of responsibility that was previously mentioned.

In democracy, the support of the people cannot be forced. It must be won. If the job of the law
enforcement is to be made more effective, this support must be won, and in a hurry. The best way to
win support of the public is through professional conduct on the part of the law enforcement officers.
This is certainly not easy. The desire to act and be professional is a prerequisite, but there are many
obstacles between desire and performance.

In many departments supervisors and administrators are from the “old school”, ant they often resent
the “new breed”. We must realize that it is difficult for them to say that their way was become more
resistant to change as he grows older, after all. He has an investment of himself in the past. For that
reason change often comes slowly. Many of the “new breed” will become martyrs when their
progressive ideas clash with the reactionary thinking of some of those above them in rank. This has
always, to some extent, been man’s lot, but never in the history of the world has change rapidly
demanded as it is today. There has been a constant change going on over the years in the status of
the law enforcement officer and a forward movement toward professionalization.

“A policeman’s duty also tends to make him officious, dictatorial and arbitrary toward individuals.
Policemen as a class are inclined to be vain and somewhat egotistical. They do not, how ever, lack in
courage as their numerous encounters with the criminal element bear abundant witness”.

Apart from the problems of an indifferent public and reactionary thinking in the occupation. The
professional minded law enforcement officer must know and face the problems of his own personal
weaknesses. He must know and understands his own human nature and how he can prepare himself
for the small pitfalls that await him and which can lead him away from professional standards, not by
leaps, but inch by inch. The important thing to understand is that although the problems mentioned
certainly make professional? Law enforcement difficult they also make it more necessary.

When does one learn to become professional? Some learn it from their parents. Some learn it from
schools, colleges, churches and from the writings of great philosophers. Many feel that too few of
today’s youth have digested the lessons that these disciplines offer, or for that matter are even
receptive to them. The answer to this will certainly have a great bearing on the very future of our
country.

Where does one learn to be a good police officer? Unfortunately, a short recruit, Training
Academy, as good as it may be, does not properly fill this need.

To be a good police officer requires constant efforts and self-evaluation. A professional police officer
must reach for the idealistic goals that have been set forth as standards for his profession.

The most sincere police officer needs some professional standards or set rules to which he may look
as a daily guide, one which sets the pattern of professional conduct toward which he can strive.
Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is such a guide. If one really studies this code, it will soon
become evident that adhering to it presents no easy task, for it involves mastering one’s own human
nature, and this is never an easy goal to attain. Any one reading the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics
will agree with its basic message, and they will accept its basic context as being commensurate with
professional standards. Although the Code of Ethics was introduced in 1954, it is not a new concept
to the field of law enforcement. Sir Robert Peel of England Metropolitan Police in 1829 introduced the
following Principles which might be considered as a version of Code of Ethics:
1. It should be understood at outset, the principle object to be obtained is the prevention of crime.
2. Great and every effort of the police is to be directed. The security of the persons and property
and the preservation of a police establishment will thus be better effective that by the detection
and punishment of the offender after he has succeeded in committing crime.
3. The constable will be civil and obliging to all people of every rank and class
4. The constable must be particularly cautious not to interfere idly or unnecessarily in order to
make a display of his authority.
5. When required to act, he will do so with decision and boldness.
6. On all occasions he may exploit to receive in the fullest support in the proper exercise of his
authority.
7. He must remember that there is no qualification so indispensable as a perfect command of
temper.
8. He shall never suffer himself to be moved in the slightest degree by ay language or threats that
may be used.
9. If he do his duty in a quiet and determined manner, such conduct will probably excite the well-
disposed of the bystanders to assist him if he requires them.
10. Particular care is to be taken that the constables of the police do not form false notions of their
duties and powers.

Sirs Robert Peel is considered the “Father” of Law Enforcement.

Sir Robert Peel’s Nine Principle of Policing:

1. The basic mission for which the police exist is to prevent crime and disorder.
2. The ability of the police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police
actions.
3. Police must secure the willing cooperation of the public that can be public opinion but by
constantly demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.
4. The degree of cooperation of the public that can be secured diminishes proportionally to the
necessity of the use of force.
5. Police seek and preserve public favour not by catering to public opinion but by constantly
demonstrating absolute impartial service to the law.
6. Police use physical force to the next extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to
restore order only when the expertise of persuasion, advice, and warning is found to be
insufficient.
7. Police at all times should maintain a relationship with public that gives reality to the historic
tradition; the police are public and the public are the police. The police being only full-time
individual charged with duties that are incumbent on all of the citizens.
8. Police should always direct their actions strictly towards the functions and never appear to
usurp the powers of the judiciary.
9. The test of police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence of
police action in dealing with.
The Usefulness of a Code of Ethics

Codes are like firearms, they have their value and they have their dangers. One of the more
interesting questions to as is why police created a code of ethics in the first place. It may be that
codes contain historically important clues to the contextual mandates for policing, but more often that
not, they represent aspirations toward the future without any clear directions for how to get from one
place (the past) to another ( the future).

The police code is designed to be like an oath of office, and the effectiveness of making someone
say” I will…” over and over again is debatable.

Originally this code was developed by the California Peace Officer’s Association and later was
adopted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 1975.

LAW ENFORCEMENT CODE OF ETHICS

AS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, MY FUNDAMENTAL DUTY IS TO SERVE MANKIND;

TO SAFEGUARD LIFE AND PROPERTY, TO PROTECT THE INNOCENT AGAINST DECEPTION,
WEAK AGAINST OPPRESSION OR INTIMIDATION AND THE PEACEFUL AGAINST VIOLENCE
OR DISORDER, AND TO RESPECT THE CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS OF ALL MEN, LIBERTY-
EQUALITY AND JUSTICE.

I WILL KEEP MY PRIVATE LIFE UNSULLIED AS AN EXAMPLE TO ALL MAINTAIN

COOURAGEOUS CALM IN THE FACE OF DANGER, SCORN OR RIDICULE; DEVELOP SELF-
RESTRAINT AND BE CONSTANTLY MINDFUL OF THE WELFARE OF THE OTEHRS. HONEST IN
THOUGHT AND DEED IN BOTH MY PERSONAL AND OFFICIAL LIFE. I WILL BE EXEMPLARY IN
OBEYING THE LAWS OF THE LAND AND REGULATIONS OF MAY ORGANIZATION. WHAT
EVER I SEE OR HEAR OF A CONFIDENTIAL NATURE OR THAT IS CONFIDED TO ME IN MY
OFFICIAL CAPACITY WILL BE KEPT EVER SECRET UNLESS REVELATION IS NECESSARY IN
THE PERFORMANCE OF MY DUTY.

I WILL NEVER ACT OFFICIOUSLY OR PERMIT PERSONAL FEELINGS, PREJUDICES,

ANIMOSTIES OR FRIENDSHIP TO INFLUENCE MY DECISION: WITH NO COMPROMISE FOR
CRIME AND WITH RELENTLESS PROSECUTION OF CRIMINALS, I WILL ENFORCE THE LAW
COURTEOUSLY AND APPROPRIATELY WITHOUT FEAR OF FAVOR, MALICE OR ILL-WILL,
NEVER EMPLOYING UNNESSARY FORCE OR VIOLENCE AND NEVER ACCEPTING
GRATUITIES IN RETURN.

I RECOGNIZE THE BADGE OF MY OFFIES AS A SYMBOL OF PUBLIC FAITH AND I ACCEPT

IT AS A PUBLIC TRUST TO BE HELD SO LONG AS I AM TRUE TO THE ETHICS OF POLICE
SERVICE. IT WILL NEVER ENGAGE IN ACTS OF CORRUPTION OR BRIBERY, NO WILL
CONDONE SUCH ACT BY OTHER POLICE OFFICERS. I WILL COOPERATE WITH ALL LEGALLY
AUTHORIZED AGENCIES AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES IN THE PURSUIT OF JUSTICE.

I KNOW WHAT I ALONE AN RESPONSIBLE FOR MY OWN STANDARD OF PROFESSIONAL

PERFORMANCE AND WILL TAKE EVERY REASONABLE OPPORTUNITY TO EHNANCE AND
IMPROVE MY LEVEL OF KNOWLEDE AND COMPETENCE. I WILL CONSTANTLY STRIVE TO
ACHIEVE THESE OBJECTIVES AND IDEALS, DEDICATING MYSELF BEFOR GOD TO MY
CHOOSEN PROFESSION- LAW ENFORCEMENT.
Importance of Ethics to Law Enforcement
Law enforcement officers must safeguard the public’s trust to perform their jobs effectively.
Because ethical conduct greatly impacts public trust, law enforcement agencies must closely examine
their policies, reward systems, and training to ensure that their agency fosters a culture of firm ethical
values. Instead of expecting that officers already possess a firmly engrained set of values (good or
bad) when they enter the police force, managers must remember that all officers have the potential to
act virtuously; but, when the work environment allows misbehaviour either implicitly or explicitly, the
potential for abuse skyrockets. Theognis of Megara, another ancient Greek philosopher, said, “Fairly
examined, truly understood, no man is wholly bad, nor wholly good.”15 Police officers are not exempt
from this idea. Effective law enforcement leaders bring out the best in their staff by ensuring that
officers not only understand the right thing to do but actually do it.

Terms and Definition

Peace Officer- means a commissioned regular officer, and by extension and where applicable any
other paid or volunteer member of the Department.
Canons - are statements that express in general terms standards of professional conduct expected
of peace officers in the relationship with the public, the criminal justice system and the profession.
They embody the general concepts from which the Ethical Standards and the Disciplinary Rules are
derived.
Ethical Standards - are statements that represent the objectives toward which every peace officer
shall strive. They constitute guiding principles that can be relied upon by the peace officer in certain
specific situations.
Standards - specify an acceptable level of conduct for all peace officers, regardless of their rank or
the nature of their assignment. Any peace officer who violates any agency rule that applies to these
canons and standards commits unprofessional conduct, and is subject to disciplinary action. Violation
of disciplinary rules requires appropriate adjudication and disciplinary action ranging from oral
reprimand to termination and/or criminal prosecution or other administrative action sanctioned by law,
as dictated by the individual case.
Enforcement Procedures - are the fundamental rights of an accused officer that are applicable to a
disciplinary investigation or proceeding against the officer.
Administrative Investigation - is an investigation conducted to determine whether an officer has
violated any provision of this code, or an agency rule or regulation; or whether an officer is impaired
or unfit to perform the duties and responsibilities of a peace officer.
Formal Discipline - refers to the final adjudication of administrative or disciplinary charges.
Controversial conduct - shall be defined as that conduct which may damage the reputation of the
department or bring it or the member into disrepute.

CANONS OF ETHICS
Canon One
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL UPHOLD THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES,
THE STATE CONSTITUTION AND ALL LAWS ENACTED OR ESTABLISHED PURSUANT
TO LEGALLY CONSTITUTED AUTHORITY.

(a) Peace officers shall recognize that the primary responsibility of their profession and of the
individual officer is the protection of the people within the jurisdiction of the United States through
upholding of their laws, the most important of which are Constitution of the United States and the
State Constitution and laws derived therefrom.
(b) Peace officers shall be aware of the extent and the limitations of their authority in the enforcement
of the law.
(c) Peace officers shall diligently study principles and new enactments of the laws they enforce.
(d) Peace officers shall be responsible for keeping abreast of current law as applied to their duties.
(e) Peace officers shall endeavor to uphold the spirit of the law, as opposed to enforcing merely the
letter of the law.
(f) Peace officers shall respect and uphold the dignity, human rights and Constitutional rights of all
persons.

Canon Two
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL BE AWARE OF AND SHALL USE PROPER AND ETHICAL
PROCEDURES IN DISCHARGING THEIR OFFICIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES.

(a) Peace officers shall be aware of their lawful authority to use the force reasonably necessary in
securing compliance with their lawful enforcement duties.
(b) Peace officers shall truthfully, completely and impartially report, testify and present evidence in all
matters of an official nature.
(c) Peace officers shall follow legal practices in such areas as interrogation, arrest or detention,
searches, seizures, use of informants and collection and preservation of evidence.
(d) Peace officers shall follow the principles of integrity, fairness and impartiality in connection with
their duties.

Canon Three
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL REGARD THE DISCHARGE OF THEIR DUTIES AS A PUBLIC
TRUST AND SHALL RECOGNIZE THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE PEOPLE WHOM
THEY ARE SWORN TO PROTECT AND SERVE.

(a) Peace officers, as professionals, shall maintain an awareness of those factors affecting their
responsibilities.
(b) Peace officers, during their tour of duty, shall diligently devote their time and attention to the
effective and professional performance of their responsibilities.
(c) Peace officers shall safely and efficiently use equipment and material available to them.
(d) Peace officers shall be prepared to and shall respond effectively to the demands of their office.
(e) Peace officers, with due regard for compassion, shall maintain an objective and impartial attitude
in official contacts.
(f) Peace officers shall not allow their personal convictions, beliefs, prejudices, or biases to interfere
unreasonably with their official act or decisions.
(g) Peace officers shall recognize that their allegiance is first to the people, then to their profession
and the government agency that employs them.

Canon Four
PEACE OFFICERS WILL SO CONDUCT THEIR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE LIFE THAT
THEY EXEMPLIFY THE HIGH STANDARDS OF INTEGRITY, TRUST, AND MORALITY
DEMANDED OF MEMBERS OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSION.

(a) Peace officers shall refrain from consuming intoxicating beverages to the extent that it results in
impairment that brings discredit upon the profession or the Department, or renders them unfit for their
next tour of duty.
(b) Peace officers shall not consume intoxicating beverages while on duty, except to the limited
degree expressly permitted in the performance of official duties.
(c) Peace officers shall not use any narcotics, hallucinogens, or any other controlled substance
except when legally prescribed. When such controlled substances are prescribed, officers shall notify
their supervisor and discuss any side effects that may affect their ability to perform their duties prior to
reporting for duty.
(d) Peace officers shall maintain a level of conduct in their personal and business affairs in keeping
with the high standards of their profession. Officers shall not participate in any incident involving
moral turpitude.
(e) Peace officers shall not undertake financial obligations which they know or reasonably should
know they will be unable to meet and shall pay all just debts when due.
(f) Peace officers shall not engage in illegal political activities.
(g) Peace officers shall not permit or authorize for personal gain the use of their name or photograph
and official title identifying them as peace officers in connection with testimonials or advertisements
for any commodity, commercial enterprise or commercial service which is not the product of the
officer involved.
(h) Peace officers shall not engage in any activity that would create a conflict of interest or would be
in violation of any law.
(i) Peace officers shall at all times conduct themselves in a manner that does not discredit their
profession or the Department.
j.) Peace officers shall not be disrespectful, insolent, mutinous, or insubordinate in attitude or conduct.
(k) Peace officers shall be courteous and respectful in their official dealings with the public, fellow
officers, superiors and subordinates.
(I) Peace officers shall not engage in any strike, work obstruction or abstention, in whole or in part,
from the full, faithful and proper performance of their assigned duties and responsibilities.
(m) Peace officers shall maintain a neutral position with regard to the merits of any labor dispute,
political protest or other public demonstration, while acting in an official capacity.

Canon Five
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL RECOGNIZE THAT OUR SOCIETY HOLDS THE FREEDOM
OF THE INDIVIDUAL AS A PARAMOUNT PRECEPT THAT SHALL NOT BE INFRINGED
UPON WITHOUT JUST, LEGAL AND NECESSARY CAUSE.

(a) Peace officers shall not use their official position to detain any individual, or to restrict the freedom
of any individual, except in the manner and means permitted or prescribed by law.
(b) Peace officers shall recognize the rights of individuals to be free from capricious or arbitrary acts
that deny or abridge their fundamental rights as guaranteed by law.

Canon Six
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL ASSIST IN MAINTAINING THE INTEGRITY AND
COMPETENCE OF THE PEACE OFFICER PROFESSION.

(a) Peace officers shall recognize that every person in our society is entitled to professional, effective
and efficient law enforcement services.
(b) Peace officers shall perform their duties in such a manner as to discourage double standards.
(c) Peace officers shall conduct themselves so as to set exemplary standards of performance for all
law enforcement personnel.
(d) Peace officers shall maintain the integrity of their profession through complete disclosure of those
who violate any of these rules of conduct, violate any law or who conduct themselves in a manner
which tends to discredit the profession.
(e) Peace officers shall have responsibility for reporting to proper authorities any known information
that would serve to disqualify candidates from transferring within or entering the profession.
(f) Peace officers shall be responsible for maintaining a level of education and training that will keep
them abreast of current techniques, concepts, laws and requirements of the profession.
(g) Chief Executive peace officers shall accept the responsibility of utilizing all available resources
and the authority of their office to maintain the integrity of their agency and competency of their
officers. These Canons and Ethical Standards shall be applied to all legally defined peace officers
regardless of rank.
(h) Peace officers shall assume a leadership role in furthering their profession by encouraging and
assisting in the education and training of other members of the profession.
Canon Seven
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL COOPERATE WITH OTHER OFFICIALS AND
ORGANIZATIONS WHO ARE USING LEGAL AND ETHICAL MEANS TO ACHIEVE THE
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PROFESSION.

(a) Peace officers, within legal and agency guidelines, shall share with personnel both within and
outside their agency, appropriate information that will facilitate the achievement of criminal justice
goals or objectives.
(b) Peace officers, whether requested through appropriate channels or called upon individually, shall
render needed assistance to any other officer in the proper performance of their duty.
(c) Peace officers shall, within legal and agency guidelines, endeavour to communicate to the people
of their community the goals and objectives of the profession, and keep them apprised of conditions
which threaten the maintenance of an ordered society.

Canon Eight
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL NOT COMPROMISE THEIR INTEGRITY, OR THAT OF THE
DEPARTMENT OR PROFESSION BY ACCEPTING, GIVING OR SOLICITING ANY
GRATUITY.

(a) Peace officers shall refuse to offer, give or receive gifts, favors or gratuities, either large or small,
which can be reasonably interpreted as capable of influencing official acts or judgments. This
standard is not intended to isolate peace officers from normal social practices, or to preclude gifts
among friends, associates, or relatives where appropriate.
(b) Peace officers shall not consider their badge of office as a license to obtain special favor or
consideration.

Canon Nine
PEACE OFFICERS SHALL OBSERVE THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF INFORMATION
AVAILABLE TO THEM THROUGH ANY SOURCE, AS IT RELATES TO THE PEACE
OFFICER'S PROFESSION.

(a) Peace officers shall be aware of and shall meticulously observe all legal restrictions on the release
and dissemination of information.
(b) Peace officers shall treat as confidential the official business of their employing agency, and shall
release or disseminate such information solely in an authorized manner.
(c) Peace officers shall treat as confidential that information confided to them personally.
They shall disclose such information as required in the proper performance of their duties.
(d) Peace officers shall neither disclose nor use for their personal interest any confidential information
acquired by them in the course of their official duties.
(e) Peace officers shall treat as confidential all matters relating to investigations, internal affairs and
personnel, to the extent authorized or required by law.

The Six Components of the Code of Ethics

Members and Candidates must:
 Act with integrity, competence, diligence, respect, and in an ethical manner with the public,
clients, prospective clients, employers, employees, colleagues in the investment profession,
and other participants in the global capital markets.
 Place the integrity of the investment profession and the interests of clients above their own
personal interests.
  Use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgment when conducting
investment analysis, making investment recommendations, taking investment actions, and
engaging in other professional activities.
 Practice and encourage others to practice in a professional and ethical manner that will reflect
credit on themselves and the profession.
 Promote the integrity and viability of the global capital markets for the ultimate benefit of
society.
 Maintain and improve their professional competence and strive to maintain and improve the
competence of other investment professionals.
The Code of Ethics establishes the framework for ethical decision-making in the investment
professional.

Ethics in Criminal Justice System

Criminal justice ethics (also police ethics) is the academic study of ethics as it is applied in the
area of law enforcement. Usually, a course in ethics is required of candidates for hiring as law
enforcement officials. These courses focus on subject matter which is primarily guided by the needs
of social institutions and societal values. Law enforcement agencies operate according to established
police practices and ethical guidelines consistent with community standards in order to maintain
public trust while performing their responsibilities.

Police ethics and integrity are essential aspects of the law enforcement system that facilitate
effective crime control practices. A combination of laws, training, and standards help police officers
maintain ethical behavior on duty. Holding a position of authority while also having the means to use
force legitimately requires police professionals to adhere to the strictest ethical standards to avoid
controversial or corrupt abuses of power.

Policing the community often brings ethical situations into consideration that may be, but is not
limited to, one of the following circumstances: criminal investigations, procedural justice, racial
profiling, early intervention systems, internal affairs, citizen complaints, mediation, recruitment, and
use of force.

3 Ways Ethics Influence Criminal Justice

It’s fascinating to think about how ethical considerations are relevant to the criminal justice field. Is it
about discretion? Due process? Use of force? Are we talking about how morality influences what
people do and how they act?

Ethics are actually the very foundation of the criminal justice system. They’re what helped us, as a
society, develop the moral reasoning we use, define criminal activity, and deem acceptable as
punishment. It’s an important topic because our criminal justice system is most effective when it’s
operating in an ethical manner.

Here are three key areas where ethics play a role in criminal justice:
1. Police Operations
We have lots of ways to examine how ethics can influence police behavior, including how the police
interact with a community and how that community interacts with police. When the police are
perceived to be operating ethically, a community is more likely to be open and ethical when dealing
with them. This includes working together on crime prevention.
2. Attorney Behavior
Ethical behavior, of course, isn’t about winning a case at all costs. It’s about representing your client
in the best way possible. There shouldn’t be an expectation for attorneys to have to act unethically
and therefore inappropriately. Rules have been written in a certain way. We can follow the spirit or the
letter of the law, and we need to allow (and expect) attorneys to be doing both.
3. Self-Participation
Often times we don’t think that the way people interact with criminal justice professionals is part of the
ethical equation, but it is. We need to consider people’s willingness to share information and to be
part of the system. This includes everything from participating in jury duty to self-reporting local
criminal activity.

Important of Ethical Standard in Criminal Justice

Without ethical standards, it can be easy for law enforcement and the court to operate impartially.
Think about it: if a defendant could pay a judge to rule a certain way on his case, the defendant could
simply buy his way out of conviction. Similarly, a prosecuting attorney with an agenda against the
defendant could tamper with evidence or tell witnesses how to testify, unfairly driving the trial to her
desired ruling.
Police officers, judges and others in the criminal justice system must consider these ethical issues:
Whether their actions comply with the law whether they can legally and morally justify every choice
they made to reach certain outcomes how their decisions affect others involved in a case and the
population as a whole the precedents their decisions set whether their decisions undermine ethical or
legal principles.

Role of Ethics Play in Creating and Guiding Policy in the Criminal Justice System
Judges consider the circumstances surrounding their cases when they rule on them. These
circumstances are known as aggravating and mitigating factors. When there are aggravating factors
present in a case, like the defendant’s lengthy criminal record or the victim’s vulnerability, the judge
may impose a more severe sentence on the defendant. Similarly, a mitigating factor like the
defendant’s genuine remorse for her actions or provocation to commit the offense can sway the judge
toward a more lenient sentence. This is ethical consideration in action.

Ethical considerations that criminal justice policymakers must make include citizens’ rights to
privacy, prisoners’ rights while incarcerated, and how to apply laws and justice procedures to the
population without privileging or disadvantaging specific groups. A criminal justice system is meant to
serve the people, not to punish them unjustly or only serve specific classes. Maintaining a set of
ethics and referring to it frequently enables policymakers to create policies that serve the entire
population and amend them as needed.

5 Modern Ethical Issues in Law Enforcement

Off-Duty Life -officers are held to an extremely high standard that requires their personal lives to
reflect the integrity of their position. They must maintain a professional image at all times because
they are under constant public scrutiny and rely on the public’s trust to maintain their power position.
While most jobs end when the individual clocks out, policeman is faced with the ethical issues of
maintaining their level of social respect and adherence to the law every moment. This often puts them
in direct conflict with society, especially those that have little respect for the law or the badge.

Upholding the Law and your Rights - Each officer swears an oath to uphold the law and to defend
an individual’s constitutional rights. One of the ethical issues that an officer faces daily is the ability to
uphold these oaths when they are seemingly contradictory. One of the biggest contradictions can be
found in the nation’s drug laws and subsequent drug wars, which force police officers to act in the
best interest of the state rather than the individual. When someone is caught with a few illegal
marijuana seeds, they could face imprisonment, fines, job loss, and loss of social reputation and lose
custody of their children. A cop, however, cannot consider this right to life and liberty issues because
they themselves would be violating the law if they do not arrest and charge the individual.
Necessary Force – The modern-day Black Lives Matter movement highlights the public’s concern
over the use of unnecessary force by police officers. The movement is an attempt to hold the police
force accountable for any and all cases of unnecessary force. All police officers have the authority to
use necessary force to uphold the law, but in some cases their use of force is unjustified. This ethical
issue cops face each day can, and does, put their lives in danger when dealing with those individuals
that are non-compliant. In the majority of cases, an officer must make a split-second decision on what
level of force is necessary and a misjudgement could result in injury or death for the officer. Stanley
Milgram’s research about obedience to authority proved that a person’s perception of losing their
freedoms will provoke them to react and officers can easily be coerced in high stress environments to
use unnecessary force.

Acting Impartially - One of the ethical issues officers are faced with is the requirement to act
impartially. This idealistic type of oath causes a host of problems in real-world situations. It’s not
always possible to act impartially, especially for local and small-town officers that handle the same
crowds of people throughout their career. A real-world example of this would be an officer that knows
where the local drug houses are, but has no court-acceptable evidence to pursue the case. The
officer is expected to follow law enforcement ethics, but he is also limited in his authority to uphold the
law by following certain procedures.

Profiling - has been a major component of policing since early days. It is critical for officers to use
their discretion and judgement in determine the best course of action on a case-by-case basis.
Unfortunately, modern-day society is rife with incorrect assumptions and stereotypes that result in
unfair racial or ethical profiling cases every day. In the line of duty, a cop has seconds to asses a
situation and does not have time to internally break down society’s imposed belief systems that direct
his conscious behavior.
Policeman are constantly faced with ethical issues involving their off-duty behaviors,
upholding the law and your rights, using necessary force, acting impartially and profiling. Law
enforcement ethics push officers to hold their lives to a higher standard than most, and it’s important
for citizens to understand the ethical issues that police officers face in modern times to push forward
for a better future.

file:///C:/Users/User/Desktop/29891-29898%20Ethics%20and%20Standards%20(1).pdf
https://www.bestvalueschools.com/lists/5-modern-ethical-issues-in-law-
enforcement/#:~:text=Police%20officers%20are%20expected%20and,Association%20of%20Chiefs%
20of%20Police.&text=Five%20modern%20ethical%20issues%20in,force%2C%20acting%20impartiall
y%20and%20profiling.
https://legalbeagle.com/7577128-good-things-criminal-justice-system.html
https://www.northeastern.edu/graduate/blog/3-ways-ethics-influence-criminal-justice/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_justice_ethics#References
(https://analystnotes.com/cfa-study-notes-state-the-six-components-of-the-code-of-ethics-and-the-
seven-standards-of-professional-conduct.html)

End of Module 5,6,7,8

God Bless!!!