fbinaa_apr-jun-2020-Press-digital

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properly and are held responsible if they fail to do so”. It is herein where the importance of ethics is found. Ethical behavior of police officers generates trust and an image of legitimacy of not only officers, but their agencies as well. It is also felt to be a hinge upon which police-community relations is dependent. It bears mentioning that Shilston also revealed six dimensions (entities) to whom police are held accountable. The dimensions being referenced are legal (the rule of law), political (the formal processes exercised by elected officials), administrative (agency administration), societal (public institutions), communal (individuals in the community), and international (treaties). LAW ENFORCEMENT UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR: AN ETIOLOGY Unethical behaviors and misconduct by police officers

activities are not only done out of the public’s view, but are also shielded from inspection, investigation, observation, review, and examination by others. Law enforcement agencies take differing approaches in performing their duties, and the manner by which they do this ethically can vary from department to department also. Ethics was defined by Peak (2007, p. 333) as “doing what is right or correct and is generally used in reference to how a person should behave in a professional manner”. Ethics is of value to law enforcement in that it acts as a “buffer” and as a system of “checks and balances” for police personnel (including administration) and their agency. This statement is in relation to the concept of “police accountability” which was defined by Shilston (2016) as “a system of internal checks and balances aimed at ensuring that police officers carry out their duties

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