The code of silence states that police officers will cover for a fellow police officer whenever he has a problem at home or at the work place. The officer tells his colleagues explaining why he did what he did. The other officers excuse his behaviour whether they agree that it was the right thing to do or not. They all stick to this story and put their careers in line for the police officer. The rules to this code state that if a fellow officer is questioned about the actions of the police officers, they will say as little as possible talk only when asked, say that they have no idea, refuse to diverge details and say that they did not see or hear anything. Every police officer who abides by this code follows these rules. They believe that they are always one and anyone else who is not a police officer is not one of them regardless of the relationship they have with the police officer in question. (Wetterndorf, 2002).

How prevalent is the code of silence

The code of silence is common among the police officers. This is because the police officers are trained to be the good guys and the rest. They are therefore programmed to protect their fellow officers with time. However, the use of the code of silence has reduced over time because of calls by civil societies. The organisations claim that these codes violate the law and cover up for criminal activities. It is claimed the police officers violate the law by maintaining the code of silence. This is because they cover illegal activities committed by fellow police officers yet they are meant to protect the law. The Knapp commission was formed to investigate the conduct of the police officers and this was one of the issues that were discussed (Woods, 2011).

Ethical issues that police officers who follow the code of silence

There are issues that face police officers who follow the code of silence. They could be breaking law by being accomplices to crime. This is because they have the knowledge of the crime committed yet remain silent on the issue. In the case where there is a citizen is involved, the police can be said to have violated their oath to protect the citizens. It is the duty of policemen to protect the citizens and the code of conduct may prevent justice from taking place. Citizens are then left to protect themselves against the same people who are meant to protect them. There is also the issue of negligence. These police officers ignore a crime committed simply because the offender is a police officer. The code of silence condones illegal activities and corrupt actions by the police officers. The citizens are then left feeling betrayed because the same laws that are made to protect them harm them instead (Huddar, 2012).

Arguments for and against the code of silence

The code of silence enhances unity among the police officials. The code makes them aware that they will always be protected by colleagues. They have confidence in each other and help them bond more. The code of silence also protects the police officers from possible prosecution and humiliation of being sentenced and other court procedures. Some police officials may follow this code to present a united front to the citizen. The police officers can then be sure that they will not be prosecutedif they make mistakes. On the other hand, the police officers place themselves above the law by use of the code of silence. They may commit crime with the knowledge that their colleagues will cover for them. It also increases cases of corruption among the police officers and hinders justice from taking place. Additionally, it erodes the trust that the people have towards the police force.

Utilization of the code of ethics

In my opinion, this code of silence should be limited. It could be limited to actions pertaining to the personal life of the police officer. However, if the conduct of the police officer violates the rights of the people then it should not be used. This is because the police officers are not above the law and should face the consequences of their actions without protection from the police force. It is ironical that the police officers encourage the people to report any crimes committed yet they keep quiet when the same laws are violated by the policemen. Personally I would not follow the code of silence. It would be against my duty as the police officers. If a police officer stole something from a store and I saw, I would definately report them. However if the issue at hand was about a wife or girlfriend, I would then claim ignorance on the issue. This is the only circumstance under which I would utilize the code of silence.

Case concerning lapse of judgement

In 2005 a police officer named Anthony Abbate was convicted and fired for violently beating up a barmaid. The incident was caught on the surveillance tapes and it was spread to the rest of the country. There was a public outcry in which people were incensed by the behaviour of the police. The police offered to pay the barmaid in a lump sum if she agreed to get the court to overrule the verdict. This brought to light the evils that the police commit. It is evident that if the incident had not been caught on tape then the rest of the policeforce would have lied to protect Abbate. In another case in Chicago, a police officer saved a teenage boy for being convicted for a crime he had not committed. He went against the code of silence and reported what had actually happened. He was threatened by the rest of the police force for telling on them (Taylor, 2013)

Lying under oath

If a police officer lies under oath then they commit a crime the crime of perjury. By lying in court, then justice is not achieved and the wrong person ends up being convicted for a crime that they did not commit. Perjury is a serious crime and attracts a heavy penalty. There have been calls for the police officers not to be trusted more than the rest of the population in a court case. The code of silence has compromised the belief of the people towards the police officers. If a police officer lies under oath then they are said to have committed for perjury and sentenced to a year in prison (Alexander, 2013).

Personal ethical dilemma

As a teenager, I once witnessed another student who was my friend copying in an exam. The exam was a closed book exam and the students were required to give their own answers from what they had read before and transfer the knowledge to the exam. I did not report them because I felt that it was not my responsibility to report them and also I concentrated on what I was doing. It did not matter to me that they were copying. This was unfair to the other students who had studied so hard for the exams. Looking back, I don’t think I handled the situation well. It was unethical for me to keep quiet. The right thing to do was reporting them to the supervisors. This would stop them from being given good grades unfairly.

Works cited

Alexander, M. (2013, February 6). Cop Block. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Police Lie Under Oath: Their testimonies should not be Trusted More than the Other Witnesses: http://www.copblock.org/27240/police-lie-under-oath-their-testimony-shouldnt-be-trusted-more-than-any-other-witness/

Austin, P. (2006, July 13). Code of Silence. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from The Press.Enterprise: http://www.oocities.org/three_strikes_legal/code_of_silence.html

Bandass, H. (2013, January 11). Law professor Defends Police Code of Silence Ruling. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from The Chicago Maroon: http://chicagomaroon.com/2013/01/11/law-professor-defends-police-code-of-silence-ruling/

Heinzmann, D. (2012, December 21). Chicago Tribunal News. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Code of silence’ verdict stands in Abbate case: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-12-21/news/ct-met-abbate-ruling-code-of-silence-20121221_1_code-of-silence-verdict-abbate-case-police-code

Huddar, G. (2012, January 6). Blue Code of Silence. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/blue-code-of-silence.html

Sweenie, A. (2012, November 6). Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Lawyers Spur over Alleged Code of Silence: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-06/news/ct-met-abbate-bar-beating-trial-1107-20121107_1_anthony-abbate-abbate-and-other-officers-karolina-obrycka

Taylor, G. F. (2013, August 01). People’s Law Office. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Historic Verdict In Chicago Police Code Of Silence Case: http://peopleslawoffice.com/historic-verdict-in-chicago-police-code-of-silence-case/

Wenterndof, D. (2012, January 02). Real Police Law Enforcement Resource. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Code of Silence: http://www.realpolice.net/articles/police-stress/code-of-silence.html

Wetterndorf, D. (2002, May 70). The Brotherhood. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Police Culture: http://www.abuseofpower.info/Culture_Brotherhood.htm

Woods, T. (2011, October 10). Voice of OC. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from Combating Code of Silence: http://www.voiceofoc.org/oc_north/article_feb30908-f34d-11e0-af51-001cc4c002e0.html

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