CHAPTER 3: ETHICS OF POLICE SUPERVISION Flashcards
It is not ________ to expect that, in addition to following the canons of ethics for law enforcement officers, the police supervisor has his own extra set of ethics to adhere to as a leader.
unreasonable
Ethics have been termed “________” and have been referred to as a set of moral principles.
“rules of proper conduct”
Ethics are said to deal with the nature of the “good and _____.”
“right”
In their most _________, ethics are said to be the science of the human character in its ideal state of being. Ethics may encompass all of these things and more.
formal sense
Rather, in order to be most effective, any set of ethics or rules must be drawn up and supported by way of ________ by the very people most likely to use them.
example
Police officers have had their own Law Enforcement Code of Ethics since ____ when the International Association of Chiefs of Police
(IACP) adopted a code developed earlier by the California Peace Officers’ Association and the Peace Officers’ Research Association of California. Many other organizations and associations have since ac-cepted and promulgated the code. Its concise, direct language appears to have contributed to its widespread acceptance in American law enforcement.
1957
THE POLICE SUPERVISOR’S CODE OF ETHICS
Loyal: to employer, to subordinates, to _______.
A code of ethics of this nature makes no claim that the police
supervisor is a superman or superwoman or should be one. It asks no one to become an angel. It allows for human frailties, but it also de-mands that the ethical supervisor work always to better himself and his job performance.
myself
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
It has already been noted in the proposed Police Supervisor’s Code of Ethics that the organization and its managers are owed the ______ loyalty of their supervisory officers.
honest
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
If he disagrees with a proposed course of action, loyalty commands that he question the directive at the right time and in the _______. This will mean that an order issued under emergency conditions will be obeyed now and questioned or discussed later, unless obedience calls for obviously ille-gal or immoral behavior.
right way
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
Loyalty also speaks to the issue of the proper way or place in
which to question or debate orders and directives. The _____ sergeant meets with his immediate supervisor in private to tell him why he feels that an ordered course of action must not be followed. He pre-sents calm, logical arguments for his point of view.
wise
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The loyal supervisor does not broadcast ill will about the organi-zation of which he is a member. He has an obligation to address him-self to its ________, but in the proper places and at the proper times. Such places do not include social gatherings with other mem-bers of the community. If he shows little pride in his organization, it is doubtful that others will show much, either.
shortcomings
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The ethical police supervisor must develop a reputation for reliability with his superiors. This proven ability to “get it done” allows those superiors to concentrate upon other things, safe in the assurance that the called for work will be performed as requested. A reputation for reliability cannot help but _______ the supervisor in his own chances for promotion through demonstrated merit.
strengthen
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
Every police sergeant worth his chevrons owes his boss __________ in all things. This truthfulness must survive even if the information being presented is unpopular, unfavorable, or downright unbe-lievable.
absolute honestly
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
One of the first-line supervisor’s key responsibilities is the ______ and ______ of facts. Distorted or omitted facts can destroy the supervisor as an effective and reliable communicator.
gathering and reporting
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The supervisor who sees nothing but negatives is just as off base as the individual who praises everything new just because it is ____.
new
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The supervisor has a better chance of seeing his
“no” vote take effect if he presents his opinion in a constructive and _____ worded manner.
carefully
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
An earned reputation for a lack of credibility on the part of the supervisor will ______ his value to the agency and to the subordinates whose interests he supposedly represents.
lessen
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The responsible supervisor keeps his own boss and, consequently,
management as a whole, well-informed. Managers do not like ______, particularly when those surprises tend to show them and their people in a bad light.
surprises
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The really difficult part is determining what the boss wants to know about and what can be handled at a _________ of command.
lower level
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The efficient and effective police supervisor needs more than the
aid and good will of the boss to succeed in his leadership role. He also must have the help and __________ of his fellow supervisors.
combined wisdom
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
The supervisor who cannot work and communicate well with his _____ is not fulfilling his responsibility to his employer or to himself. There is no need for a supervisor to face each and every job crisis as a new and unknown problem. Such an approach is unnecessary when the solution may already exist at a convenient source: the bank of knowl-edge and experience contained within the minds of the agency’s other supervisors. The supervisor who is loyal to his organization and him-self also is loyal to his fellow supervisors.
peers
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
No one should deny the supervisor the privilege of ______
informally or socially with those above him and outside of his immediate chain of command. When such talk is intentionally aimed at sidestepping the supervisor’s own boss, however, it begins to smack of disloyalty.
talking shop
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
Regardless of who is the target, cruel ______ must be tracked to their source whenever possible. If the author of the lie has concocted the scheme to cause misery to another individual, formal disciplinary action may be the only adequate response.
untruths
RESPONSIBILITIES TO MANAGEMENT:
Tracing a major, malicious rumor to its source will require the
_______ and backing of the agency’s managers.
knowledge
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
He is their _____ with higher authority. He must accurately and faithfully convey their grievances, thoughts, feelings, and ideas to the levels of the organiza-tion where they can be acted upon.
link
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The careful sergeant must avoid ________ his employees’ words
in the light of what he thinks they mean. He must repeat their words back to them and ask them to clarify points that he does not under-stand. When he is sure of their message, then and only then can he pass it along the chain of command. He is charged with the duty of relaying information accurately. He also is responsible for seeing that he does not alter the meaning of the message just to avoid provoking someone higher in the command chain. Accuracy, not the boss’s reac-tion, is his primary concern.
paraphrasing
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The good supervisor must always be ______ with his subordinates. He relays the bad news along with the good. He may soften a blow in the manner in which he presents his information. The mes-sage itself, however, must remain true in content and spirit
truthful
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The truthful and honorable police leader does not lie to a subordinate to save that subordinate’s feelings. Neither does he give ________ and unwarranted praise.
groundless
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The team leader must acknowledge ________ for his actions,
popular or not.
responsibility
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
It is permissible for him to tell his officers that he is going to speak out for a change on their behalf. He must not, however, ______ and _____ for it in front of them.
argue and bicker
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The police supervisor owes his employees ____ and impartial con-duct in all of his dealings with them. The job of supervisor is not the place to even-up old grudges or pay back old and still open accounts.
fair
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
Fairness in all dealings means that even the appearance of prejudice or ______ must be avoided.
partiality
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The responsible supervisor will show genuine concern for his
workers’ problems and worries. Even the unrealistic worries of his people deserve the careful and ___________ of the supervisor
immediate attention
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
It is up to him to _____ their fears as much as possible by explaining the basis for his own confident state of mind.
allay
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The responsible police supervisor attempts to further his peoples’
abilities and aid them in developing their careers to _________. Encouragement and advancement of those careers may take various forms.
full potential
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
The sergeant is also furthering a subordinate’s career when he
praises where appropriate and _______ where required. Outstanding work must not go unrewarded, even if that reward may be no more than some carefully chosen words of praise from the sarge.
corrects
RESPONSIBILITIES TO OFFICERS:
To ignore an out of the ordinary performance, good or bad, is to fail to carry out one of the supervisor’s most vital functions: _______ and _____.
evaluation and review
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
No police leader can serve his agency and his subordinates in a
responsible fashion unless he is first ______ to himself. Just as he must be honest with others, so must he be truthful to himself.
responsible
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
The socially responsible police supervisor is self-confident about
his strengths, but he is willing to ______ the possibility of problems in his performance, too.
examine
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
Just as he is neither cocky nor arrogant about his good points, neither is he _____ embarrassed or defensive about his challenges. When he needs help with a given problem, he wisely finds a source of competent assistance.
unduly
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
The supervisor rightly concerned about his body will eliminate
harmful habits such as smoking (at all) or drinking alcohol in excessive amounts. Both objectives are, of course, easier stated than done. When successfully accomplished, however, both also add greatly to a growing _______ and total health picture. The use of illegal drugs or the abuse of legal ones also will be on the intelligent super-visor’s personal roster of banned behaviors.
self-assurance
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
They then apply themselves to enjoying as many of these things as they can, both as fully and as often as possible. It is not coincidental that many of these same supervisors appear to be the most ______ as well as the most effective people when they are working.
content
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
A sergeant or other police leader who has learned the ways of
responsibility to self consistently sets a ________ for his troops to follow.
good example
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
The _______ supervisor leads by example in attitude, too.
exemplary
RESPONSIBILITIES TO SELF
He asserts them and, where necessary, defends them intelligently and ______. He does not rage and shout but he does reason and persuade.
reasonably
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMUNITY
When he follows the chain of command back to its very beginning, it is to these people that he owes his _________. What he does for them and how he does it will help determine whether or not he is truly living up to the demands of his ethical code.
first allegiance
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMUNITY
The first-line law enforcement leader owes his _________ his best
work, just as do his peers, subordinates, and superiors who are also on the public’s payroll. It is not likely that the hard-working police sergeant has any problem with that. But he owes the taxpayers more, as well. He is also responsible for assuring that they get their money’s worth in the job performance of the team he leads.
constituents
RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMUNITY
The ethical law enforcement leader also knows that he best serves
his community as well as his subordinates when he acts as a _______ role model for what a peace officer should be.
positive
SUMMARY
The supervisor who wants to do his job well is also responsible and accountable to the citizens he serves, whatever his jurisdiction happens to be. He owes them the best service he can ______.
render
SUMMARY
He ____ that profession the most ethical, responsible, competent job he can possibly do.
owes
SUMMARY
Most of all, however, the police leader laboring persistently and
ethically within the guidelines of his responsibilities must recognize his _______ obligations to himself.
paramount
SUMMARY
Only when the supervisor knows that he is performing in a manner in which he can be rightfully and personally proud can he honestly lay claim to meeting the ________ of his calling.
ethical requisites
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The law enforcement supervisor must adhere to his own ________.
Code of Ethics
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The police supervisor demonstrates _______ to his agency and its leaders
loyalty
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The suppression of ______ is an important task of the police leader
rumors
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The leader owes his loyalty to his subordinates and is responsible for their ______.
welfare
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The leader also has obligations to ______ and assures that he remains physically, emotionally, and morally healthy
himself
POINTS TO REMEMBER
The law enforcement leader is aware of his obligation to serve his community in a moral and _____ fashion.
ethical
POINTS TO REMEMBER
Above all, the supervisor serves as an excellent role model of what a ________.
leader should be
