Deck 14: The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

Question 1

Idealistic goals can be found in a code of ethics that

A) provides mandatory sets of rules which serve as the basis for discipline
B) provides a general statement of principles or guidelines for an organization
C) is aspirational and constructs the ideal model
D) none of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Some police officers criticize the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics because it's too specific.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

One of the paradoxes of police work is that a single set of classical, ethical principles is always applicable to every situation and to every moment's challenges.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Laws are considered to be unfair to citizens if they are

A) so specific as to be clear or discernible
B) so vague as to be unclear or indiscernible
C) so specific as to be clear and discernible
D) so vague as to be clear and discernible

Question 5

The police code of ethics

A) is somewhat vague
B) is somewhat general
C) is somewhat idealistic
D) all of the above

Question 6

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics fits Kant's ethical formalism when it

A) says that police should enforce the law on a personal level
B) says that police should enforce the law based on friendships
C) says that police should enforce the law using personal prejudices
D) says that police should enforce the law while not allowing personal feelings, prejudices, animosities, or friendships to influence their decisions

Question 7

Long-range goals can be found in a code of ethics which

A) provides mandatory sets of rules which serve as the basis for discipline
B) provides a general statement of principles or guidelines for an organization
C) is aspirational and constructs the ideal model
D) none of the above

Question 8

Examples of the three different types of codes of ethics are

A) police departmental general order manuals, mission statements, and aspirational codes
B) police departmental general order manuals, police departmental special order manuals, and aspirational codes
C) police departmental special order manuals, mission statements, and aspirational codes
D) police departmental general order manuals, police departmental special order manuals, and mission statements

Question 9

There is an implicit quid pro quo in citizen-police interactions that involve small gifts.

Question 10

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics pronouncements include principles that are clearly utilitarian.

Question 11

Kant's ethical formalism would permit police to accept small gratuities such as a free cup of coffee.

Question 12

By its very nature, a code of ethics will only be useful if it has a propensity to be focused and specific.

Question 13

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics aims to construct an idealized vision of how the competent and ethical professional should be and behave.

Question 14

Codes of ethics, like police departmental general order manuals

A) provide mandatory sets of rules
B) serve as the basis upon which discipline is meted out
C) are practical in the sense that they attempt to present specific, how-to-do-it type rules for day-to-day professional life
D) all of the above

Question 15

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics presents numerous principles that logically fit into the perspective of ethical formalism.

Question 16

By its very nature, a professional code of ethics will only be useful if it

A) avoids any propensity to be to focused or unspecific
B) avoids any propensity to be to unfocused or specific
C) avoids any propensity to be to unfocused or unspecific
D) avoids any propensity to be to focused or specific

Question 17

As a code of ethics, a police departmental general order manual

A) provides mandatory sets of rules which serve as the basis for discipline
B) provides a general statement of principles or guidelines for an organization
C) is aspirational and constructs the ideal model
D) none of the above

Question 18

Codes of ethics are meant to be broad, general, and universal.

Question 19

Laws must be carefully written so that they are not vague or unclear regarding what is permissible and what is prohibited.

Question 20

A common criticism of an ethical code is that it is driven by

A) attitudes
B) multitudes
C) platitudes
D) altitudes

Question 21

Utilitarianism and the "ethic to live by" suggest that in deciding whether or not to make an arrest, officers must consider

A) the view of bystanders and witnesses to the incident
B) the long-term interests of justice
C) the desire for promotion
D) whether the media is watching

Question 22

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

A) only fits Kant's ethical formalism
B) only fits Mill's utilitarianism
C) fits both Kant's ethical formalism and Mill's utilitarianism
D) fits neither Kant's ethical formalism and Mill's utilitarianism

Question 23

Kania suggested that the acceptance of small gratuities by police officers might be a

A) beginning of a beautiful friendship
B) capital offense
C) good thing
D) felony

Question 24

When police officers conduct themselves as rule utilitarians, they make decisions

A) that may differ from time to time
B) that may differ from place to place
C) that may differ from circumstance to circumstance
D) all of the above

Question 25

Critics point out that the differences between the code's dictates and the "real world" of police work are great. Discuss both the strengths and the weaknesses of the code's lack of realism.

Question 26

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics uses rule utilitarianism when it says

A) I must keep my private life unsullied as an example
B) I must be honest in thought and deed
C) my badge is a symbol of public faith
D) all of the above

Question 27

Pollock argues that the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

A) is irrelevant to the realities of most officers
B) is detrimental to its own validity and credibility due to the wide disparity between itself and actual behavior
C) specifies perfect behavior
D) all of the above

Question 28

Because police officers are flawed human beings, we should

A) expect them to admit it's possible to live up to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics all of the time
B) expect them to try to live up to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics only a small portion of the time
C) expect them to actually live up to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics all of the time
D) expect them to try to live up to the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics all of the time

Question 29

Ethical perspectives discussed in the text include

A) Kant's Ethical Formalism
B) Mill's Utilitarianism
C) an ethic to live by
D) all of the above

Question 30

Focusing on the specific circumstances of individual incidents, police officers, operating as u tilitarians, have to acknowledge that what is fair, just, and (even) legal will

A) always be the same
B) usually be exactly the same
C) never be quite the same
D) none of the above

Question 31

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics fits Kant's ethical formalism when it

A) says that all laws should be enforced
B) says that all laws should be enforced equally
C) says that police officers should not accept gifts
D) says that police officers can accept small gifts

Question 32

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics fits

A) a specific or practical level type of code
B) a general statement of principles type of code
C) an aspirational or idealistic type of code
D) none of the above

Question 33

Consider once again the criticism that the code is too vague. What sorts of pronouncements might you include in such a code if you were to make it more specific? Would that make for a better code? What utility would such a code have that the existing code lacks?

Question 34

The question presented to police officer candidates, "What would you do if you stopped a drunk driver and found that it was a friend of yours?" presents

A) an ethereal dilemma
B) an environmental dilemma
C) an ethical dilemma
D) an ethical diorama

Question 35

Write an essay engaging this topic: Some say that the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics is a classic example of utopian platitudes. We often hear from "the good ol' boys" that today's advanced education of police officers and this code too are unrealistic exercises that waste the time of the police. Worse, some of the good ol' boys suggest that taking such "book learning" seriously can actually be dangerous. What do they mean? Do you agree or disagree? Why? What might you say to a good ol' boy if you could discuss this with him? (Instructors: Have your class bring their essays for reflection and analysis and then lead them in a discussion and/or debate about this classic, contemporary argument.)

Question 36

When it comes to the two types of utilitarianism, the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics includes

A) only rule utilitarianism
B) only act utilitarianism
C) both rule and act utilitarianism
D) neither rule nor act utilitarianism

Question 37

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics

A) encompasses an important set of principles
B) defines an ideal conceptualization of what a police officer ought to be
C) sets up a goal toward which all honest, hardworking, dedicated professionals can aim
D) all of the above

Question 38

Discuss the text's example of confronting a drunk driving friend while on duty. What would you do? What should you do? Apply Kant, Mill, and our ethic to live by to the dilemma presented to you by the competing duties to "stick by a friend" and "to apply the law justly."

Question 39

The Law Enforcement Code of Ethics includes variable principles, such as

A) safeguard lives and property
B) protect the innocent, weak, and peaceful
C) maintain courage in the face of danger
D) all of the above

Question 40

Read and discuss the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics, taking particular note of how vague its pronouncements are. What does it tell us about how to act as police officers and what does it leave to our own imaginations and ethical perspectives?