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The Law Enforcement Officers Code of Ethics has existed for decades. I’m old as dirt and when I became a Los Angeles County Deputy Sheriff in the 60s we took the oath early on in the academy. It was impressed upon us just how important adherence to the oath would be throughout our careers. While there is some question as to where the oath originated, it’s generally attributed to the Superintendent of the New York State Police who compiled it from multiple sources in 1930.

Although the origin is debatable the intent and content are not. It’s unfortunate the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) has chosen to modify the long-standing code of ethics and call it, instead, an oath of honor. IACP’s position is not surprising. Based upon its track record, the organization is very much like the United Nations. It’s principally supported by US dollars and does little more than provide cover for the personal agendas of too many of its members.

Honored Excuses

The differences between ethics and honor are substantial, and the IACP focus on the latter rather than the former goes a long way toward explaining what is increasingly wrong with police leadership today. The code of ethics is based upon a set of moral values and prescribes a set of rules of behavior as well as expectations for those who subscribe to the oath. The law enforcement code of ethics, as originally written and followed for decades, was based upon the exact same moral principles that serve as the foundation for our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

A code of honor is substantially different, indeed much more watered down from the original. By definition, honor means those taking the code admire and revere the content but (and this is critical) do not swear to abide by the content. Ethics has with it an obligation. Honor allows for excuses. Let’s look for a moment at how these not so subtle differences play out in the real world of law enforcement.

The oath mandates respect for the US Constitution — all of it — not just those parts with which a particular practitioner happens to agree with. The Second Amendment to the Constitution is still valid law and, for those of us who subscribed to the oath, we are duty bound to support it. Those who simply honor certain values are under no obligation to support the Constitution. Thus we find an increasing number of so-called police leaders who are openly antigun and who do all they can to restrict the rights of citizens in that regard. Doubt me? Try and get a concealed carry permit in any of the liberal bastions of our nation. It’s generally the top cops who subscribe to the oath of honor and not the oath of ethics who lead these locales.

The oath says we will keep our private lives unsullied. Those who simply honor certain principles are under no obligation to lead an exemplary life, and it shows. Witness the police leaders who in decades past would have been terminated for improprieties such as DUI, sexual harassment or spousal abuse, but who today keep their jobs and think nothing of their violation of the public trust.

The oath says we will never let personal feelings influence our decisions. Yet in multiple jurisdictions today agency leaders, based upon their personal feelings, have declined to enforce laws such as those requiring all drivers have valid licenses and certain vehicles must be impounded. Perhaps they think, “But that’s okay, since I never took an oath requiring me to enforce the law. I just said I’d honor certain principles as long as I found doing so to be in my personal best interests.”

The oath says “with no compromise for crime and with relentless prosecution of criminals I will enforce the law …” Oath takers cannot justify ignoring the numerous and often felonious crimes committed by “occupiers.” Those who simply honor certain principles find it very easy to ignore violations of law in order to remain popular. I could cite an almost limitless number of examples in which police leaders operate as if the Code of Ethics never existed. But they’ll quickly justify their actions by citing the fact they honor certain principles. To them, honor is not synonymous with obey.

The erosion of values within police leadership didn’t suddenly develop overnight. It took decades. If we’re ever able (and I pray we will be) to restore the adherence to the Code of Ethics so critical to true professionalism, it will likely take a few more decades to accomplish. Unless each and every one of us commits ourselves to adhering to the time honored Code of Ethics many of us subscribed to at the outset of our careers, it will never happen. And, both law enforcement and society as a whole will continue to suffer because of it.

Questions, comments, and suggestions for future columns can be sent to Jerry at [email protected]
By Jerry Boyd

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AC June 2013

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