Police Ethics / Law Enforcement Ethics

I grew up among policemen. I saw from a young age how law enforcement in local communities looks like. Especially in times of trouble and low accountability. I am familiar with both police abuse and responsible conduct, from my own encounters and from studying these two topics on my own, with no academic or institutional support. The reality is that Police Ethics is not a main topic of interest in Romania nor in the European Union. Most of the time, this field of research and intervention is considered a very closed topic, reserved to former law enforcement officer who have first hand experience in police work. Because of this attitude, the academic literature is very thin and addressess things like values, character and the codes of conduct, corruption and police culture (e.g. the code of silence), and social trust in law enforcement forces. And this is not the only argument: for example, Police Ethics/Professional Ethics is not one of the key thematic areas considered by CEPOL — the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training — in their activity, though some of their projects include assessments of the ethical and legal implications of the use of new and emerging technologies.

My own research led me to a more comprehensive and pragmatic approach to Law Enforcement Ethics, one that translates in organizational practices and individual behavioral changes. First of all, this field combines at least three main ethics spheres: the Organizational Ethics, the Professional Ethics, and the Legal Ethics. In some cases, there are aspects that connects law enforcement work with community expectations and crisis communication; and they require elements from other ethics spheres. Secondly, the dynamic of law enforcement agencies/LEAs (i.e., local, national, federal police, border police/patrol and transnational agencies (e.g. Frontex, SELEC), intervention forces, gendarmerie, etc.) and organizational profiles require a more systemic intervention and not simply police awareness and training. Thirdly, the trust in LEAs should cover both the factors that influence the public perception, and the role of LEAs in guarding democracy and not only public order and security.

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