examining and evaluating an ethical policy and/or procedure of a law enforcement agency. The final term paper must include the following:
1. Select a Law Enforcement agency you would like to examine and evaluate and explain why you selected the particular organization.
2. Obtain from the Law Enforcement Agency: a) Mission Statement and b) Ethical Policy and/or Procedure and/or Code of Conduct. If the Law Enforcement Agency does not have a Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct, your paper should address the advantages and disadvantages for not having a Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct.
3. Select one or more provisions from the Law Enforcement Agency’s Ethical Policies and Procedures, relating to permissible and/or impermissible conduct, you wish to examine and evaluate. If the Law Enforcement Agency does not have a Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct, your paper should include a draft of a proposed Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct you would recommend implementing as an Administrator.
4. Examine and explain: a) whether the policies and procedures are consistent with the Mission Statement of the Law Enforcement Agency, b) who is/should be responsible and how policies and procedures are communicated to employees, c) who is/should be responsible for the enforcement of policies and procedures, and d) whether the policies and procedures address employee violations of the policies and procedures, what procedures are employed to determine whether a violation occurred, the rights of employees accused of policy and procedure violations, and resulting penalties.
5. Explain the Administrators or Mangers role in creating and administering ethical policies and procedures and what role Administrators and Managers play in creating an organizational culture of ethical behavior.
6. Critically analyze and explain whether the policies and/or procedures are either adequate or inadequate.
7. Discuss and explain; 1) if deemed adequate, explain why you believe the policies and procedures are adequate, or 2) if deemed inadequate, explain why you believe the policies and procedures are inadequate, what are the possible ramifications because of this inadequacy, and what revisions and/or amendments would you propose to improve the policies and procedures.
Your final paper should demonstrate your organizational and analytical skills in evaluating a Law Enforcement Agency. Your paper should be organized with an (1) introduction of the Law Enforcement Agency, (2) the operational purpose of the Law Enforcement Agency, (3) the Law Enforcement Aency’s Mission Statement and Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct of the Law Enforcement Agency, (4) How the Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct are communicated and enforced in the Law Enforcement Agency, (5) Critical Analysis, with explanation, of the Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct. Critical Analysis should address the thoroughness of the Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct, whether the Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct could be misinterpreted or misapplied, and any resulting consequences, (5) Recommended Amendment(s), with explanation, to Policies and Procedures/Code of Conduct Revisions. Recommended Amendment(s) should address the reasoning for the amendment(s), and (6) conclusion. Your paper should be no less than five (5) pages long and double spaced. Your paper should have at least 3 research sources! Your research/reference does not count as one of the 5 pages.
Your research paper is worth 100 points of your grade and will be graded according to organization, clarity of issue(s), research submitted, analytical ability, logical reasoning, and conclusion. Please keep in mind that the research submitted, analytical ability to apply the research to address the issue(s), logical reasoning will have greater weight in determining your grade.
This assignment is aimed to encourage students to evaluate and analyze the ethical structure of an actual public organization, identify potential ethical issues public organizations encounter, and develop student’s problem-solving skills to address ethical issues.
