Professionalism & Ethics Flashcards
Officer Muniz
LEARN
- Listen
- Explain
- Assess
- Respond
- Normalize
Origin of the term
“professionalism”/ “professional”
- Its earliest meaning comes from those professing the vows of a religious order. It meant the act of professing, a spiritual commitment, a range of academic expertise or both.
- By 1675 the term was secularized.
Learned professions include all except:
Carpentry
- Ref: Webster’s New Universal Unabridged Dictionary* offers this definition of profession:
- “A vocation or occupation requiring advanced training in some liberal art or science, and usually involving mental rather than manual work, as teaching, engineering, writing, etc.; especially, medicine, law, or theology (formerly called the learned professions).”
Degree to which an occupation must meet
the definition of a profession…
Key characteristics
The best way to understand the concept of professionalism is to think of occupations differing as to the degree that they are professional. The degree to which an occupation meets the definition of “profession” should be assessed by measuring the occupation on certain key characteristics.
It also follows that individuals will vary as to their compatibility with the characteristics and qualities of professionalism.
Which of the following is not
a characteristic of professionalism?
Oath of office
Characteristics of professionalism:
- Service to others
- Assessment of client needs
- Theoretical body of knowledge obtained through extended pre-service education
- Standards for entry, practice, and ethical conduct
- Professional association to maintain standards
- Continuing education and life long learning
Reference: Houle, Cyril O., Continuing Learning in the Professions. San Francisco: Josey-Bass, (1981)
Professional agency?
(needs editing)
all of the above
What are the advantages of peace officers?
The value of the professional model for law enforcement
Public / client served better
Advantages:
- Public or Client better served
- Quality of peace officers is improved
- Ethical conduct
- More effective problem solving
- Stronger community support and respect
- Stronger role in the criminal justice system
- More effective innovations
- Financial rewards
Disadvantages
- Cost of training and development
- Higher salaries or remuneration for job occupant
- Limited entry into the work force from poor because of limited opportunity for educational attainment
It is important to be able to distinguish between professional and non-professional behavior. Sometimes the line is very narrow; sometimes there is a behavioral continuum.
What includes good-bad/ right-wrong?
Moral duty and obligation
Ethics involves the definition and achievement of what is good or bad, right or wrong, in relation to moral duty and obligation. It also includes the need to act in accordance with the principles of right and wrong governing the conduct of a particular group, such as doctors and lawyers. Suggested police ethics have been spelled out in the Code of Ethics of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.
In the study of ethics, it is critical to understand that the motive is as important as the act. If a person refrains from stealing only because s/he fears prison, s/he cannot really be viewed as ethical. Ethics is concerned with encouraging you to do what you know you should do:
- Consider all relevant sides of an ethical problem.
- Consider basic ethical values.
- Act in accordance with the code of your profession.
Moral progress depends on our willingness to improve the consistency of our ethical judgment and behavior and to apply the same principles more thoroughly to our conduct involving other people.
Primitive people recognized few, if any, obligations to those outside their tribe. But modern people in this shrinking world must recognize their obligations to humanity in general.
It is much easier to hold ideals than to live up to them. To convince someone of his/her duty by reasoning does not necessarily induce him/her to do it. Our decision of what to do in a given situation depends on our understanding of basic ethical principles and our common sense knowledge of the way of the world and its people.
The professional behavior of peace officers and others in the criminal justice system needs to come closer to “ideal” ethical behavior than may be possible in private life.
Example: If you obey the law, you will set a good example for others and spare your fellow officers the discomfort of having to intervene in your private affairs.
Ethical role is performed by being…
objective.
For purposes of this training, objectivity involves the expression or use of facts without distortion by personal feelings or prejudices. In achieving objectivity, it is essential that you not only gather all of the available relevant information on a topic, but that you also strive to establish the validity of the information.
Your efforts would include such things as ensuring the accuracy of tests detecting drug and alcohol use, comparing stories from witnesses to the actual event for common elements, and checking the reliability of an informant.
The ability to be objective is learned and improved with practice. If you become aware of your personal feelings, prejudices, “blind spots,” and other elements of personality, you have taken a giant step toward introducing objectivity into your behavior. Having achieved this awareness of yourself, you can then view things in their proper perspective.
Which of the following is not one of five (5) principles?
Accepting gratuities
Which of the following is one of
the Six Pillars of Character?
Respect
- Trustworthiness - integrity, honesty, promise-keeping, loyalty
- Respect - courtesy, autonomy, diversity, the Golden Rule
- Responsibility - duty, accountability, pursuit of excellence
- Fainess - openess, consistency, impartiality
- Caring - kindness, compassion, empathy
- Citizenship – lawfullness, common good, environment
Contrast with SAPD Guiding Principles:
INTEGRITY - We Have Integrity • We hold ourselves accountable and demand the highest level of ethical and moral standards from all. We are role models, acting with courage and building trust within the organization.
RESPECT - We Are Respectful • Mutual respect is the foundation for every interaction. We value diversity and encourage open communication by treating everyone with dignity and fairness.
COMPASSION - We Are Compassionate • Compassion guides our actions as we care for one another. We treat people with kindness and respect while working for the benefit of all.
FAIRNESS - We Are Fair • We are committed to consistently treating people in a courteous and impartial manner.
Ethics is concerned with…
what you know you should do.
In the study of ethics, it is critical to understand that the motive is as important as the act. If a person refrains from stealing only because s/he fears prison, s/he cannot really be viewed as ethical. Ethics is concerned with encouraging you to do what you know you should do:
- Consider all relevant sides of an ethical problem.
- Consider basic ethical values.
- Act in accordance with the code of your profession.
Which of the following is
an obstacle to an ethical decision?
Rationalization
Choose an incorrect statement:
Peer pressure can work against
Three (3) dimensions to each decision:
Caring
