The significance of police professionalism and responsibility
The event that transpired in May 2020, where a black man named George Floyd, was murdered in front of several people while being recorded on phone, raises a lot of questions about how police work is done. Law enforcement officials have the responsibility of saving and protecting people, but the incident of George Floyd reflected that the police had failed the public. Mere suspicion of a civilian resulted in the police mishandling the person and even shooting the person, leading to his demise (Hill et al., 2020).
The incident of George Floyd is a clear reflection of how the police failed in being professional and in being responsible. The people believe that the police are there to bring them justice and to safeguard them against any form of harm, injustice, or discrimination (Wexler, 2018). However, this was not done in this case. This discussion is focused on showing the significance of police professionalism and the responsibility that the police have.
This would cover the role of ethics in the duties that the law enforcement officials have, which could act as guidance for them to understand the difference between acceptable and unacceptable conduct. The kind of responsibilities that have been imposed on the police officials makes this discussion of particular significance, as this would clarify the significance or the impact that the actions of the police have on different stakeholders.
To be clear on the professionalism that is expected from a police officer, one can refer to the qualities that are expected from a police officer. The police have the responsibility of working towards humanity, where life and liberty are respected. There is a need for the police officers to be inclusive and sensitive, where everyone is treated with compassion and dignity. The police officers have to follow the principles of justice and integrity, where they are expected to use the highest ethical standards. Furthermore, they are expected to be accountable, consistent, honest, and fair in their duty performance (UNC Police, 2022).
Professionalism has to be undertaken by showing commitment to excellence and by maintaining the highest education standards. Most importantly, the officials are required to maintain moral and mental strength so as to resist the opposition. Even in extreme difficulty or dangerous situations, the officials have to stand by their fellow officers. The duty requires them to perform any and all tasks necessary to fulfill their obligations, which means that they would even have to do things that are not a part of their job (UNC Police, 2022).
Professionalism reflects the actions and the behavior of a person in the context of the work they do. Professionalism has to be characterized by the maturity of mind, attention to others, integrity and intelligence. The work of police officers is defined as a profession, and the services of this profession are received by the public. The concept of professionalism for police officials dictates the conduct and performance of such officers. Yet, there are cases noted over a period of time where contentions have been raised in the context of the declining professionalism in police officials, resulting in the need for the theme and understanding of professionalism in the police officials (Ayee, 2016).
Expectations from police officers
The manner in which the police are receiving disrespect from the public, of political parties, and an overall lack of trust in their work, shows the need of reforming this image of police officers. This is because the negative image in the mind of people takes the perception of police officers, which is quite far from their roots. The work of police has become more of a job, instead of this being a vocation. With reference to the changes in behavior, there is a dire need for the police to revamp their image and to build back the public’s trust. This requires knowledge of the nuances of professionalism, so as to say the foundation stones on which the values and standards of police conduct, their behavior, and service impartment, can be built (Holdaway, 2017).
The broad definition of professionalism is developed in several components and dimensions that have to be considered properly by the police. These components and dimensions can be reflected in themes of honor, integrity, enthusiasm, pride, independence, leadership, and collegiality (Caldero, Dailey & Withrow, 2018).
Professionalism requires the police officials to work in a manner where their prejudice or discrimination is not the decision-maker. They have to fulfill the obligations that have been imposed on them and have to perform their work, which is above the ethical and professional standards. The police officials, in order to do this, have to go deep into the advanced studies of criminology, as it would allow them to gain knowledge about how to be competent in their services (Sklansky, 2011).
The officials should refer to the experience that has been acquired by the senior officials, and by increasing the interactions with mentors, who can guide the individuals on the right kind of conduct that is required. There is a need to follow the lead of ethical officials and to support the education of the young officers by training them properly (Thompson & Payne, 2019). By having professional expertise, the police officers can be equipped with the requisite tools that can help them in addressing the varied situations and would allow for making the right decisions (Gundhus, 2013).
In this regard, there is a need to mention that integrity is also important and has to be reflected in the conduct of the police. Every law enforcement official has to recognize the Code of Ethics and deem it as the cornerstone of professionalism. There is also a need to comply with the obligations that have been given to the officials, as well as, to follow the rules that have been created by the police department. The police officials are required to demonstrate self-discipline and have to abide by high standards of behavior, which are often reflected in the Code of Ethics (Westmarland & Rowe, (2018).
It also becomes significant that the police officers are accepting the responsibility that comes from the actions undertaken by them, along with accepting the collective responsibility so as to make certain that the profession meets the rightful role, within the limits of possibility. The police officers are granted certain privileges and rights, which makes it crucial for them to use them in an honest manner. There is also the need for the officials to be subjected to self-regulation (Wood & Sereni-Massinger, 2016).
The concept of professionalism for police officials
Professionalism can be seen as a contract with the department with which the police officer is associated. Further, their profession being one of public service requires the use of delegated powers to be undertaken in a proper manner, which is not in excess of the ethical standards. The power of the police officers is thus to be used in the public interest, rather than to fulfill their personal interests. The police officials thus have individual and collective ethical and moral obligations (Neyroud, 2016).
Since the incident of 2020, where George Floyd was killed, there have been widespread demonstrations against police officials and even rioting in some places (Perez, 2021). The people have become disappointed with the police and the entire system due to the rising number of cases where the police are discriminating against certain sections of society. Apart from this, there are contentions of misuse of police powers of stop and search, and of racial criminal profiling as well. The people have come to believe that the police force is not required as they further the crime, by making unfair and unjust decisions, pointing toward police misconduct (Bradford & Loader, 2016).
(Source: USA TODAY, 2021)
The trust and respect of the community are lost, with such an image, as the public believes that the police abuse the authority that is given to them. In order for the police to effectively deal with crime, there is a need for the community and law enforcement officials to have mutual respect and trust between them. There is a need for the people to trust the public for protecting them, and for upholding the law. The police have to trust the people to not indulge in criminal acts and to report any such deviance. All this can be resolved through police integrity, which would essentially allow the police to function based on the lawful authority that they have, as per the established practices, and in a manner that can be deemed fair, which is based on the expectations of the community (Loftus & Price, 2016).
Police integrity is deemed as the inclination of the police officers to resist the temptation of abusing the privileges and rights of their occupation, as per the US Department of Justice. The police officers have many privileges and rights that come with the position they hold, giving them a lot of power in a community. By giving away with the greed or choice of abusing these privileges and rights, police integrity can be determined and even encouraged (Kutnjak Ivkovi?, 2015).
The integrity of police is crucial in the context of their professionalism and professional conduct. For them to do so, they have to follow the ethics of policing, which make it necessary for the officers to be loyal, courageous, and honest. They have to do the right thing basis their knowledge and understanding, rather than merely working basis their inherent or cognitive bias (Charman, Kavetski & Mueller, 2017).
Cognitive bias is a key problem in police officers, which reflects how these individuals fail to follow the professional standards that are expected from them. An officer is required to thoroughly investigate the evidence that is in front of them, rather than making a decision basis their inherent bias. A cognitive bias can be in form of racial bias, confirmation bias, or unconscious bias (Meterko & Cooper, 2021).
Revamping the image of police
Where the official allows their cognitive bias to dominate the criminal investigation, it could prove futile for the innocents, as did happen in two cases in 1992. In both these cases, the ex-boyfriends were charged with the murder of their girlfriend’s three-year-old daughters. The later investigations revealed that the individuals were innocent. Similar bias was reported in 2001 when the police officers, rather than investigating the evidence, investigated their perception of a person being the culprit. The innocent person was released in 2019 after extensive reinvestigation (Meterko, 2021).
Thus, the lack of professionalism, which resorts the officials to cognitive bias, results in innocents being punished for crimes they never committed.
In order for the officials to be professional, they have to go beyond the rules and regulations set by the police department, and have to abide by the ethics, and have to resort to ethical behavior. Thus, if an official falsifies a report, steals evidence, or targets a specific person because of their race, they would not only be breaching the specific rules and regulations of their department but would also be indulging in unethical conduct, which goes against the theme of professionalism.
In this regard, the ethics of the officer are also significant. In order for police officers to be professional, their moral compass has to be very strong. This is because the personal ethics of an officer would guide their decision-making. Where the personal ethics of a person are not sound, they would tend to be unprofessional and would possibly become a party to the crime, rather than actually working on eradicating such crime from the community.
Police integrity reflects the professionalism of a person; and for this to be attained, the officer has to be ethically sound. Thus, it is not just the Code of Ethics that has been drafted by the police department that has to be followed, but also the personal ethics of the officers have to be sound enough to make the respectful and trustworthy decisions, which are based on justness and fairness principles.
Conclusion
To summarize the discussion undertaken in the previous segments, the significance of police professionalism cannot be reiterated enough. Police professionalism refers to upholding the theme of justness, fairness, and integrity, by the police officers, in undertaking their duty on a daily basis.
The police officers have been given the responsibility of protecting and safeguarding the general public. However, when the incidents of racial discrimination or incidents like George Floyd are brought to light, it shows the sheer ignorance of professional duties and responsibilities that have been imparted to the police officials.
It is the duty of the officers to work for the benefit of people, without letting the cognitive bias drive their conduct. However, there have been many instances in the past where police officials have given into their cognitive bias. This has not only made the professional untrustworthy in eyes of the public but has also left an impact on the innocents, in terms of loss of their lives, to the humiliation of being a suspect. With such instances coming to light, the image of the police is changed from being the protectors to being the perpetrators.
Components and dimensions of professionalism
Furthermore, when the police allow their cognitive bias leads the criminal investigation, they not only let down the public but the police department as a whole. The image that is changed in the minds of the public, takes a long time to be repaired. The US police department has had to face the burn of this time and again.
This makes it crucial for the police practices to be revamped in a manner that the practices reflect adherence to the professional and ethical standards so that the people can be assured that they will be protected by the police, and would not instead become a victim at their hands.
Hence, it can be stated that the police have the responsibility of being professional in their conduct. They have to follow the ethical and moral standards, along with making certain that they follow the rules set forth by their respective departments.
References
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