Course description
Police departments are essential for a lawful civil society, by protecting citizens and enforcing law and order. This free online course on the ethical conduct of Law Enforcement will teach you about the moral and ethical issues that exist within law enforcement, from the importance of ethical behaviour in policing to the ethics involved in policing public demonstrations.
This training program begins by reviewing why ethical behaviour is important in society, and why ethics matter when pursuing a career in law enforcement as a professional. The course then discusses the accountability of the police, how they can be held to account for their actions, along with how police officers can be investigated for reports of such actions.
Next, the ethical issues around loyalty in the police force are discussed. The course also reviews what police subculture is, the socialization of new recruits into the subculture, and the roles that skepticism and cynicism play in law enforcement. Start this course today and learn about the moral and ethical issues that can exist within law enforcement.
Upcoming start dates
Training content
Ethical Behaviour
Description: This module discusses ethical behaviour, the importance of ethical behaviour, ethics in pursuit of a career in law enforcement, and law enforcement agencies ethics.
- Learning Outcomes
- The Importance of Ethical Behaviour
- Ethics and the Pursuit of a Law Enforcement Career
- As Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies
- Lesson Summary
Ethical Systems
Description: This module details what an ethical system is, and explains several of the major ethical theories/systems, such as utilitarian ethics, deontology, and egoism.
- Learning Outcomes
- Major Ethical Systems
- Utilitarian Ethics
- Deontology
- Virtue Ethics
- Ethics of Care and Egoism
- Religion or Divine Command Theory
- Natural Law & Social Contract Theory
- Rawls’ Theory of Justice & Moral Relativism
- Lesson Summary
Ethical Dilemmas and the Process of Effective Resolution
Description: This module discusses ethical dilemmas what they are, lists values that are part of ethics and discusses solving ethical dilemmas.
- Learning Outcomes
- Ethical Dilemmas & Values
- Solving Ethical Dilemmas
- Lesson Summary
Key Ethical Issues within Law Enforcement
Description: This module discusses the key ethical issues within law enforcement, such as the ethical use or power and authority of officers, the differences in conformity, officers conditioning investigations, and the ethical issues behind the Milgram experiment.
- Learning Outcomes
- The Ethics of Power and Authority
- The Milgram Experiment
- Person, Gender, and Cultural Differences in Conformity
- Ethical Issues during an Investigation
- Lesson Summary
Accountability and Investigation
Description: This module discusses the accountability of law enforcement officers, for the action and decisions they make and how they are investigated when reported for unlawful or unethical behaviour.
- Learning Outcomes
- Autonomy and Accountability
- Investigation Models & Offices
- Lesson Summary
Policing
Description: This topic discusses ethical issues that arise for policing, from having a noble cause, corrupted, policing public demonstrations and crowd control, the ethical issues for the community and the offender with sex offender notification laws and the ethics of private police forces.
- Learning Outcomes
- Noble Cause Corruption
- Policing Public Demonstrations and Crowd Control
- Sex Offender Notification Laws
- Ethics of Private Policing
- Lesson Summary
Discretion, Supervision, and Leadership
Description: This module discusses the ethics sounding the polices power of discretion, and the ethics of supervision and how it can affect police officers discretion, the ethical issues with the loyalty in the police force, and transactional and transformational leadership.
- Learning Outcomes
- The Ethics Surrounding Discretion
- Discretion and Supervision
- Loyalty
- Ethical Leadership
- Transactional and Transformational Leadership
- Lesson Summary
The Culture of Law Enforcement
Description: This module discusses the culture within law enforcement agencies/departments, what the police subculture is, the socialization of new recruits into the subculture and the place of skepticism and cynicism ethical in law enforcement. Lastly the module explains the difference between moral culpability and legal culpability, how what might be legally permissible may not be moral or ethical.
- Learning Outcomes
- Police Subculture
- Socialization of Police
- Skepticism and Cynicism
- Moral Culpability versus Legal Culpability
- Lesson Summary
Course assessment
- Assessment: Ethics in Law Enforcement - Course Assessment
Certification / Credits
Upon successful completion of this module you will be able to:
- Discuss the major arguments concerning the importance of ethics in law enforcement
- Identify the issues relating to morals, ethics, values, ethical codes, ethical standards, and ethical dilemmas
- Identify the importance of values in law enforcement
- Recognize how law enforcement officers can be investigated and held accountable
- Discuss how ethical issues arise from decision making, discretion, and the structure of accountability
- Identify the ethical issues when policing difficult situations such as protests
- Discuss the ethical issues within the polcie subculture
- Recognize how law enforcement needs to weigh moral culpability against legal culpability
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