My Personal Code Of Ethics In The Law Enforcement Field

Personal Mission

In the law enforcement field almost, every agency has a mission, vision and value statements; These are ethical roles an officer swears to follow when becoming a member, from those I have set out a list of fifteen commitments that are personalized to me. These are what I plan to make my personal mission as I go into my career as a police officer. With the importance of these reflecting my career as much as possible, but also include personal connection. Having commitments to follow foster solutions to any dilemma I come across in my career. Being ethical is extremely important in a law enforcement job because it’s not always easy to make the correct decision. My overall mission going into my career is to be ethical and change perspectives. In the next fifteen paragraphs I will state what I commit to and why I chose them, starting with commitment one.

Control My Emotions

I chose this to be my first commitment and the reasoning behind doing so is because I am a sensitive person and I care a great deal. Having such strong emotions makes it difficult to react to high stress situations appropriately in a policing career. Being a police officer, I will be exposed to a majority of things the common public wouldn’t be, so being able to cope properly is crucial to mental health and physical health. By getting help in how to control them and find what triggers my emotions will help my stay true to commitment.

Respect All Individuals

For my second commitment I believe respecting all individuals, that also includes the vulnerable clients I will serve. Treating them with respect makes dealing with the same individual over and over again easier if there is understanding. I also believe that everyone regardless of where they came from or where they’re going deserve to be treated as a human. I follow by this now because it’s hard to help someone when your biases are in the way.

Be Transparent

Being transparent is important in a law enforcement career because it shows honesty, accountability and respect. Transparency is not oversharing or posting on social media of extremely personal business. I plan to be transparent by telling the truth even if it’s hard to say. I want to take accountability for all my actions and understand my wrongdoings. Lastly, being transparent with the individuals I deal with so they can put trust into me because I’m willing to show vulnerability. Exercising transparency within the agency I will be placed at will allow for my coworkers and superiors to easily approach and trust me. As I’m trying to shape myself into a leader, following this commitment will make me become a credible person in the eyes of others.

Exercise Every Option Possible

Everyday decisions have to be made and sometimes that means picking the best option. As a future officer I commit to giving every person every option possible before exercising my authority. Being able to use verbal judo to de-escalate any situation to provide context for my actions to the individual. Usually people understand what is being asked of them, but everyone has bad days so giving options will help alleviate the stress on the individual and myself. This can also be in the ways of trying to solve cases, by using all the options possible to resolve it.

Remain Empathetic

Ever since my first year of college I’ve had instructors inform me of the empathy I possess. Everyone has a story and I feel the need to understand how that has affected them. Participating in the LEAPS (Listen, Empathize, Ask, Paraphrase and Summarize) form will help me gain rapport that will likely be more reputable because of the trust I can gain through LEAPS. Keeping a proper balance of empathy and sympathy. There will be situations where I cannot understand, for instance, the loss of a child.

Put in 100%

Working long shifts with over time and getting called in on days off, being a police officer is a non-stop career that demands attention. Such a role everyday for years can and will cause burnout, so I plan to, not only put one hundred percent into my work but also into myself. Being aware of the symptoms of burnout and remaining positive, even on the gloomiest of days will keep me focused. Taking time for a mental health day to relax when it is needed is important too in keeping burnout from occurring. Putting in my all will not only show my dedication and passion, it will also make me into a stronger leader because it will show how new officers should act.

Model the Way

This means to only instruct others to complete a task I’m willing to do myself. Its not only unfair but it creates mistrust which I stand against. This is crucial in my law enforcement career because it allows the growth of trust. As I stated in another commitment this fosters credibility, more people will be willing to listen and follow you. Although this isn’t a long commitment it has all the weight in how to conduct myself in a professional matter in my career.

Learning

Everything new will turn old overtime, and so will my education. It will become outdated as my years continue in service and I want to keep my mind keen. Continuing education in the career will be rewarding because it can help put a fresh look on how to solve cases. Being able to take the educational opportunities provided by the agency will be beneficial in my work or even personal life. In my opinion, with more education the larger my horizons can expand and being able to share this information to new officers will be rewarding.

Ask For Help

Being a police officer is an extremely stressful job that will have me exposed to gruesome crimes. Overtime the weight becomes overbearing on the mind and can cause a variety of issues so talking out the trauma will aid in the recovery. I commit to talking to a therapist about things that are stressing me out or causing me pain, and I will also share in debriefings after a traumatic event with my coworkers. I also commit to asking for help when I’m stuck, if I don’t know the answer or just need other expertise.

Welcome Criticism

Something that comes moderately easy for me is taking criticism. I want to allow for any of me coworkers or superiors to tell me how I could improve my job performance or just in general. Its important to be open to change and if I become an RCMP officer adapting to new locations in crucial because every station runs differently. Being open to criticism allows for my improvement but can help in the gaining respect if I follow through on their criticisms.

Be Decisive

This is something I struggle with a lot currently, so I want to kick the habit before getting into an agency. Once I’m an officer I will be faced with many dilemmas that will need a solution even if there isn’t a good option. In some situations, time is of the essence, so a split decision must be made. This is difficult because deciding too fast can have a treacherous outcome but so can be just as bad if it’s over thought. Being able to reason in a timely manner based on the situation will be needed on the job.

Professionalism

Although this is a single word I believe its important to have as one of my commitments. Not only do I commit to have a pristine uniform every day or try to at least. I will keep the things I post appropriate and private from public eyes as it looks bad on the agency. Lastly, conducting myself in a manner which is respectable and mature to reflect the agency in a positive way. As an officer I will deal with a variety of calls that will require me to keep my cool and stay professional. I commit to working on how I conduct myself, being aware of how it can affect the agency.

Community Role Model

I commit to be a positive role model for citizens within the community, especially the youth will be a role a role in my career. By also creating a connection with almost every stakeholder and community member over the years to gain trust with the police. I’ve always wanted to be a community police officer because you can change people’s perception of police and meet amazing people. Following this allows for community members to feel more comfortable in reporting crimes because they will be heard.

Appreciation

I commit to living my life with appreciation, being open to both receiving and giving appreciation. I think praising others helps strengthen a person’s confidence and also a chance to praise them with what they achieved. Gaining appreciation on my part also generates smalls wins during my journey as a police officer. This makes police work enjoyable when you know its being done properly. Personally, I always like someone to double check my work so having praise for doing it correct is a weight lifted off my shoulders.

Assertiveness

I commit to enforcing rules lawfully and in an appropriate manner. Some situations end up in a police officer having to be assertive in order to get the desired goal. Finding a balance passive and assertive will allow for me to control a situation with the correct response. Being assertive can also benefit in being on a collaborative case. Being able to speak up and be hear is important so all options/ideas are considered.

Not being able to say no is also a weakness that I possess. I commit to be aware of my own personal needs sometimes and say no even if the polite thing is to say yes, I can’t say yes all the time. It’s physically and mentally draining to constantly please others but I will say no when there is a reason to do so.

Conclusion

All fifteen commitments described above show what I want to commit to prior to, during, and even after my career. Some of the ones I chose will make me into a stronger leader one day and the rest will be reminders of how to conduct myself when I get in as a police officer. In the years of being an officer I hope to change the perspective of some people’s opinions about police. I commit to all fifteen of the commitments above for as long as I live but also change them as I adapt and mature.