ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Assignment Requirements
Excessive spelling and grammar errors will result in a deduction of points. Your answers should be in APA format and use citations when necessary. You may use your book and outside sources are allowed. APA format is required. A minimum of one page of content is required to answer the required questions in each situation. Double-spaced paragraphs are required. 12-point Times New Roman font is required. Failure to follow these formatting instructions will result in a point deduction of a minimum of 10 points from 25 for the assignment.
Situation 1
You are a rookie police officer and are riding with a Field Training Officer (FTO).
During your shift, the FTO stops at a convenience store and quickly drinks four beers in the back room of the store. He is visibly affected by the beers, and the smell of alcohol is very noticeable.
Required questions to answer
What should you do?
What if the FTO had just written up a favorable evaluation of you even though you should have received a reprimand for improper disposition of a traffic accident?
You should report the FTO to the sergeant?
Things to consider as you prepare your assignment
Moral Rules: One should always do ones duty.
One should prevent harm.
One should follow the law and rules in ones profession.
Ethical system: Ethical Formalism
The categorical imperative requires one to place duty over relationships. In this situation, the FTO is violating his duty and the duty of the officer as dictated by the Code of Ethics is not to participate or stand by when officers engage in wrongful behavior. The duty of the officer may be met by notifying the sergeant, who then has his or her own ethical dilemma.
Other ethical systems may reach different resultsAct utilitarianism: One must weigh the utilities of reporting versus not reporting. If it seems clear that there is no harm done by the act (this time) and there is a greater loss (to the FTO and to the rookie), then it is possible to address the situation in another way, i.e., by telling the FTO that if it happens again it will be reported. Rule utilitarianism, however, might reach a different result since the utilities must be weighed for creating the rule of either always reporting or never reporting.