Essay on "Law Enforcement and Security"

Essay 15 pages (5516 words) Sources: 15

[EXCERPT] . . . .

While it is unlikely that this was the first use of private security, it was the first documented use of such forces. "This established practice continued and evolved in ancient Rome where the wealthy hired private security to protect themselves and their property from the encroaching Mongol Hordes" (Dyonder, 2009). This private security was a worldwide phenomenon and, in different areas these private security forces began to organize and join forces with one another.

In England, the idea of private security developed in a different manner. In 1285, the Statute of Winchester established various concepts for the villages including "the concept of 'hue and cry' whereby it was each and every citizen's obligation to apprehend felons" (Dyonder, 2009). The concept of the citizen's arrest came from this statute, as did the right of the sheriff to form a posse of citizens. Furthermore, part of the ongoing agreements between the English citizens and the government was that the citizens retain these private rights to guard themselves, which, of course, translated into the right to hire people to guard them.

In the United States, private security is highly associated with the Pinkertons. "In the 1850s Allan Pinkerton (a former Chicago police detective) created the Pinkerton Agency, his own private security agency" (Dyonder, 2009). The Pinkertons were primarily employed by the very wealthy, such as the banks and railroads, and they were followed by the creation of other private security firms. When the Great Depression hit the United States, crime rates skyrocketed, and so did the need for private security. The need was so intense, that President Roosevelt actually "passed an executive order giving the U.S. War Department mandate to procure and train private security to guard against any threat to U.S. industry" (Dyonder, 2009). This use of private security set an industry standard, so that people began to expect that high-dollar or sensitive industries would employ security guards to protect their property and/or their sensitive information.

Policies and Procedures

Police department policies and procedures vary with the size, location, and purpose of the department. However, most police department policy and procedure manuals are going to cover the same basic information and direct their officers how to engage in their daily job functions. Moreover, these policy and procedure manuals are generally going to tell them what behavior is considered acceptable and what behavior is considered unacceptable during the course of their job. These manuals generally contain information about basic elements of police department procedure: department management; personnel administration; work rules and benefits; administrative procedures; code of conduct and use of force; relations with other agencies; field operations; and investigations (City of Minneapolis, 2013). They may also contain information on special circumstances, such as procedures when the suspects are juveniles or how to handle domestic violence scenarios. In department management, policies and procedures would outline basic administration as well as the chain of command, which is critical in police department procedure. Personnel administration would discuss performance requirements and evaluation procedures, as well as the internal affairs process. Work rules and benefits would discuss things as mundane as uniforms and as critical as substance abuse issues. Administrative procedures would cover the day-to-day operating procedures in the department, such as how reports should appear or how to get department vehicles. The code of conduct would outline how officers are supposed to behave, including the permitted use of force, as well as permitted and prohibited on-duty and off-duty behaviors. Relations with other agencies would discuss cooperation with other agencies as well as community programs. Field operations would discuss specific types of policing details and units. Investigations would outline the appropriate procedures for different types of criminal investigations (City of Minneapolis, 2013).

While there are a number of different organizations that oversee security guards and some states actually require certification of security guards, the closest thing to a federal organization that oversees security guards is the Federal Protective Service. It has published an information manual that is similar to the policies and procedures that can be found at many private security firms and with many private employers. At the most basic level, these policies would outline: a security guard's roles and responsibilities; typical duties; appearance standards; acceptable and unacceptable conduct; guidelines for interacting with people; and sexual harassment guidelines (Federal Protective Service, 2008). However, these manuals might also include very specific guidelines for dealing with scenarios including: hostage situations; bomb threats; workplace violence; escorting disruptive people from the premises; preventing or responding to terrorist attacks; dealing with fires or natural disasters; dealing with sabotage and espionage; and handling civil disturbances (Federal Protective Services, 2008). In addition, these manuals would describe the recordkeeping or reporting required to handle any of those scenarios.

Ethical Codes

Because there are so many different law enforcement and private security agencies, and no single organization that oversees either the public or private sector, it is impossible to define a single code of conduct for either public or private law enforcement agents. However, there are certain common elements that recur in a number of ethical codes for private organizations and for public organizations. Many of these elements are shared for public and private organizations, while others are tailored specifically to the job description.

The International Association of Chiefs of Police has developed a Model Policy Standards of Conduct. Originally written in 1957 and periodically revised to reflect changes in ethical and moral norms, the code is one that has been adopted by many law enforcement agencies. "The code of ethics states that the officer's fundamental duties are to serve the community; safeguard lives and property; protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and respect the constitutional rights of all to liberty, equality, and justice. The code of ethics also states that officers must keep their private lives unsullied and recognize the badge as a symbol of public faith and trust" (Grant, 2002). The code of conduct and the code of ethics work together to form a fairly comprehensive guideline for officer behavior.

Their guidelines are not intended to be exhaustive, but do highlight the areas that law enforcement agencies and personnel are most likely to encounter in the course of their jobs. The standards of conduct focus on accountability; officers are expected to be accountable for their behavior, and to answer for their actions without any deception. In addition, officers are expected to: (1) obey laws, agency policies, rules, and procedures, and lawful orders; (2) not engage in conduct unbecoming an officer; (3) be accountable through their chain of command; (4) treat their fellow employees with respect, courtesy, and professionalism; (5) interact with the public, including violators, in a civil and professional manner and refrain from use of excessive force; (6) refrain from using alcohol while on duty, reporting for duty while intoxicated, appearing intoxicated in public at any time, submit to drug or alcohol screening when requested, and refrain from using illegal drugs; (7) report any gifts or gratuities that they receive and refrain from accepting gifts or gratuities in exchange for ignoring any illegal acts; (8) not abuse their position as officers to resolve personal disputes; (9) refrain from beginning a personal relationship with suspects or their family members or from joining any criminal organizations; (10) refrain from making public statements that could have a negative impact on the department; (11) refrain from political activity while working; and (12) protect the privacy of agency information (2015).

While these rules of conduct may seem straightforward, it is important to keep in mind that some of the real-life scenarios that officers face can result in them having to prioritize between different parts of the ethical guidelines. For example, officers are directed to respect the chain of command, but they are also instructed not to violate and laws or organizational rules or regulations. However, there may be scenarios in which commanding officers instruct officers to do something that violates laws or rules. This can be a serious ethical conflict, especially for novice officers who are relying upon commanding officers to teach them how to be safe while performing their duties as law enforcement officers.

Like police officers, security personnel are in positions where they could abuse their power and need a code of conduct to govern their behavior to help them resolve ethical conflicts. There are a number of different professional organizations that govern professional behavior for security officers, though there are no requirements that security professionals join any professional organizations. Security Officers of America is one of those organizations and has a code of conduct that is similar to the conduct codes of similar organizations. This code include: (1) swearing to protect life and property; (2) reducing the employer's losses and crime; (3) respecting the constitutional rights of suspects; (4) acting with honesty, sincerity, and integrity; (5) uphold… READ MORE

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