Focus on Ethics…Expectations of a New Law Enforcement Officer

All law enforcement administrators have struggled with the issue of determining the degree of culpability of a new law enforcement officer who has been involved in a disciplinary matter while acting under the guidance of a senior officer.  Considering the tenuous status of a new officer and the traditional subservient role of probationary employees, is it truly reasonable to expect that a new law enforcement officer will demonstrate the courage and inclination to stand firm in the face of a senior officer who is acting inappropriately, and to either prevent and/or report criminal or serious disciplinary acts?  The answer is yes.

The very first thing that all of us as law enforcement administrators must do is not be guided by what may have occurred – including with each of us – in the past, but rather recognize that our profession has evolved tremendously in a variety of ways over the last several decades. Some things that were tolerated in the past are appropriately considered as mortal sins today.  In many ways, the “good old days” were not.  As with most other professions, our folkways, mores, customs, and expectations have changed.

The new law enforcement officer, if he or she is to succeed and act in accordance with our expectations with respect to courage and ethical behavior, must receive strong and continuous reinforcement from the chief or sheriff.  Obviously, this reinforcement must be institutionalized throughout the entire training process, and include the unequivocal message that senior personnel, especially training officers, who intentionally act inappropriately in the presence of those new personnel who are entrusted to their stewardship, will experience dire consequences.

What follows is an exemplar letter that the police chief or sheriff can send to probationary law enforcement officers.  This letter is not intended to be the sole method of communicating this message, but rather an additional way, in a very personal and direct manner, that the top administrator can communicate his or her expectations, related to courage, responsibility, and ethical behavior, to the new law enforcement officer.

​My Expectations of You in the Areas of Courage and Ethical Behavior

Welcome to our Department and to the law enforcement profession.  I join with you and with your loved ones in the pride of your selection, and in the excitement that you justifiably feel in the anticipation of a long and successful career in what absolutely has to be one of the most enjoyable and rewarding of professions.  As someone who has survived a very long and difficult selection process, where the average ratio between those who are hired and rejected is 1 in 20, you have worked hard and diligently to be where you are today.  The purpose of this letter is to hopefully ensure that you will not fail in my expectations by engaging in behavior that will cause you to lose all that you have worked so hard to attain – your job.

During the course of your probationary period, you will have the opportunity to work and associate with a variety of training officers and senior personnel.  I have every confidence that you will find most, if not all, of these men and women to be fine law enforcement officers and fine human beings, and that you will both learn from them and enjoy the acquaintance.  I take very seriously my responsibility to ensure that you experience the very best training and mentorship possible, and will ensure that prompt remedial measures are taken should this ever not be the case.  While I would hope that such will not occur, there is always a possibility that you could be confronted with a situation where you are either asked or expected to condone and/or engage in inappropriate behavior.  In the event that you are confronted with such a challenge, I want you to know exactly what I expect of you.

There are a number of reasons why you are that one person in twenty that I chose to hire, as opposed to the nineteen who ultimately did not make the cut.  First, you met the basic qualifications in terms of education, health, fitness, and psychological suitability – those factors are all givens.  What is more important is the confidence that I have in you based upon your demonstrated performance in interviews and all that you have done in the past as reflected in your background investigation.  Quite simply, I believe you to be the best, brightest, most emotionally solid, and in summary a very special person.  Otherwise, I would not have hired you.  I expect a lot of you.

While you are new to the law enforcement profession, you are not new to the human race.  While I do not expect you to be an instant stellar performer in those skills which require much training and experience such as investigations, report writing, and interview techniques, I do expect that your knowledge in terms of what is right and what is wrong is absolutely exemplary and is as good today as it will ever be.  I am sure that it comes as no surprise that some of those other nineteen persons who failed to be hired were perceived as not strong in this critical area.

While all of your verbal skills in terms of articulation, public address, and interviewing techniques are most likely not completely refined, a critical factor in the decision to hire you was absolute and unequivocal confidence that you have both the inclination and courage to deal with any difficulties that may arise.  This means speaking out or speaking up – whether in public, with suspects, or with co-workers!  Should you ever be confronted with a situation where you are either asked or expected to condone inappropriate behavior, I expect that these verbal skills will be put to instant use.

What I have been leading up to is my absolute expectation that you will not engage in and/or condone inappropriate behavior, and that you will not tolerate such behavior on the part of any other employee, regardless of their rank or position.  While your probationary status appropriately places you in a subordinate position for the purpose of learning and development, you are not expected to endure and/or tolerate misconduct and/or criminal activity.  If you engage in and/or condone things that you know to be wrong, I want you to know that you will not receive special favorable consideration, because of your subordinate probationary status, regardless of the fact that you may have been influenced by a superior or a training officer.

Please do not think that I expect you to object to and/or report every situation where you may disagree with the guidance of your superiors or training officers.  To the contrary, as a new employee you are expected to listen, learn, and adapt to situations that may well be foreign to you based upon past experiences.  Let there be no doubt that from time to time you will be called upon and expected to do things and perform tasks that are difficult, unpleasant, and dangerous.  These things are all part of our Department and of our profession.

I do expect you to prevent misconduct from occurring, and to report it immediately if it does occur!  Period.  Let me give you some examples of the type of behavior that I expect you to prevent or report.  If you see another employee steal something, report it to a supervisor immediately; you became a cop to put thieves in jail, not to condone their crimes.  If you see another employee who has become emotionally agitated and potentially on the verge of using unnecessary force, pull them aside and do not let it happen; report it if it does.  If your partner is driving like an absolute fool, even in a pursuit, immediately correct his or her behavior; it will be little consolation at a hospital or funeral that you intended to later discuss the matter.  If your partner is starting to exhibit inappropriate personal interest in another person (street person, individual involved in criminal behavior, explorer scout, etc.), stick your nose right into his or her business and tell he or she to clean up their act; if the inappropriate association does develop, report it.  Silence and any anything short of complete candor and cooperation are not options in the event that misconduct occurs!

You will note an overriding theme in my expectations, and that is that we are one another’s keepers.  More so than any other profession, we each play a role in governing the conduct and behavior of each other.  Unlike a manufacturing company where there are safety devices on machines to keep problems from developing, we often serve as the safety devices for our colleagues.  All of us, regardless of our position, have survived in this wonderful profession in part based upon the intervention of loyal co-workers who have intervened as our safety devices a time or two during our careers.  An officer who has just had his nose broken by a combative suspect may need a partner to prevent an unnecessary use of force; an officer and a parent who has just taken a child molestation suspect into custody may need a partner who has the special ability to calm a tense situation; an emotionally charged officer who is starting to become somewhat reckless in a high-speed pursuit may need a partner who has the courage and common sense to terminate that pursuit; and the young single officer who has temptation eyes for that seventeen year old explorer who looks twenty-one may need to be reminded that those thoughts are both stupid and prohibited.  While I absolutely expect that you will report misconduct, I also expect that you will try very hard to be that safety device for other personnel and keep that misconduct from occurring.

I know that these are sober thoughts.  My guidance to you is not based on casual considerations, but rather based upon years of experience.  I have seen far too many unfortunate instances where difficult problems have developed and festered, which otherwise could have been avoided had a new employee demonstrated the courage and ethical behavior that I expect of you.  I trust that you will always conduct yourself in a manner that will validate the wisdom of my having selected you as opposed to the other nineteen unsuccessful candidates who wanted to wear the badge that is now on your chest.