Police Ethics

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses the feature film "The Untouchables" that involves the police officer Jim Malone during Prohibition-era Chicago. The paper describes how Malone turns a blind eye to his fellow officers' corruption and the crimes of the most significant gangster of the time, Al Capone. The paper also examines widespread corruption in the Los Angeles police department's Rampart division. The paper maintains that the high moral standard to which we hold police officers must preclude such ethical lapses.

From the Paper:

"Because they are charged with enforcing the law, police officers are held by society to a high moral standard. Unfortunately, police officers sometimes commit serious errors in judgment and their actions fail to meet that standard. Such ethical lapses are regularly portrayed in communications products, such as feature films, and in the news media. One prominent example of an ethical dilemma faced by a police officer in a feature film involves the character of Officer Jim Malone in The Untouchables. Malone is working as a cop in a corrupt police force during Prohibition-era Chicago. However, before meeting with Eliot Ness, Malone largely turns a blind eye to his fellow officers' corruption and the crimes of the most significant gangster of the time, Al Capone."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "Canons of Police Ethics" (No date). Retrieved March 25, 2007, fromhttp://ethics.iit.edu/codes/coe/int.assoc.chiefs.police.canons.html.
• De Palma, B. (Director). (1987). The Untouchables [Film]. [With Kevin Costner, Robert De Niro, & Sean Connery]. United States: Paramount Pictures.
• Fuller, John (2001). "Street Cop Ethics." The Law Enforcement Trainer. Retrieved March 25, 2007, from http://commfaculty.fullerton.edu/lester/ethics/street_cop.html.
• "LA to pay $70m in police corruption cases" (2005, April 1). Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 25, 2007, fromhttp://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2005/04/01/la_to_pay_70m_in_police_corruption_cases.

More papers on Police Ethics:

• Term Paper # 117857 : "Police Ethics and Corruption"
• Analytical Essay # 115777 : "Police Ethics"
• Analytical Essay # 90655 : "Ethics of Police Officers"

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