As a police chief, I would have multiple opportunities to address certain elements of the internal environment of my workplace. One of the factors that I would take into consideration is work ethics. The case study presents a situation in which an officer posed nude while using certain elements of the police uniform as props. In this case, the lack of understanding of the severity of the issue may be associated with two circumstances. The officer may have been unaware that the behavior puts the entire department under reputational damage. At the same time, the action may correlate with the lack of ethics within the entire department. To prevent such situations in the future, it is essential to put effort into addressing the moral beliefs of the team and ensuring the organizational values are being shared among all officers.
Training on ethics can become an excellent solution to moral dilemmas that can be prevented. For example, officers will be informed about the importance of maintaining a good reputation, as citizens have to trust those who protect them. Moreover, team spirit can also be addressed through discussions about situations in which one officer is involved in wrongdoing while the entire department suffers from consequences. Another preventative measure includes openly discussing potential barriers encountered by officers and colleagues, which may be a challenge (Westmarland & Conway, 2020). However, trusting leaders with certain inquiries minimizes events in which work is compromised due to unethical decision-making.
Addressing ethical and moral problems through preventative measures such as training and team-building exercises is an excellent way to reduce risks. Once an activity is performed and the reputation of the department is in danger, not many options are available to minimize negative consequences. On the other hand, tackling the barrier before it occurs through training programs allows officers to avoid harmful decision-making that would contradict the values correlating with law enforcement.
References
Westmarland, L., & Conway, S. (2020). Police ethics and integrity: Keeping the ‘Blue Code’ of Silence. International Journal of Police Science & Management, 22(4), 378–392. Web.