Law Enforcement Ethics

1. Law Enforcement Ethics The Continuum of Compromise Gilmartin & Harris, 1998

2. Continuum of Compromise Transition from “Honest Cop” to “Compromised Officer”

3. Continuum of Compromise • Going with the Flow • Mental Preparation • Practice Makes Perfect

4. Perceived Sense of Victimization • “I am a cop.” • Over-identification and over-investment • Sense of self linked to the police role

5. Perceived Sense of Victimization • Inability to control the “Police Role” • Loss of control spills over into other areas

6. Over-investment and loss of control leads to “Us versus Them”mentality

7. Acts of Omission • Victimization leads to rationalization • Non-productivity or sub-standard productivity • Do enough to just “get by”

8. BIG cases = BIG problems

9. Little cases = Little problems

10. NO cases =

11. Acts of Commission - Administrative • Policy Violations • Erode Community Trust • Rarely expose officer to criminal sanction

12. Acts of Commission - Criminal • Initially, very similar to Administrative • “They OWE me/us.” • Criminal exposure

13. Entitlement versus Accountability

14. Loyalty versus Integrity

15. “Cops don’t rat on other cops.”