Noble Cause Corruption
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It is a very difficult situation when an officer becomes aware of corrupt or illegal practices or other forms of misconduct on the part of their fellow officers. The officer has a series of possibilities when he does become aware. One of the most popular is to turn a blind eye; look the other way. Some officers think that if they turn away and dont acknowledge that they are aware of whats going on, they arent a part of the misconduct or dont condone it. Here the officer attempts to keep a certain “moral distance” from the unethical conduct, without jeopardizing the bonds of loyalty. Personally I wouldnt want to be a rat, so I might lookNoble cause is a moral commitment to make the world a safer place to live (Coldero and Crank 2004, p 29).
One example is when you have to lie to a perpetrator in order for him to confess to a crime. Say you have a suspect in mind for a murder from witness details and sketches. You know this guy is no good by any means and has a rap sheet longer than the patrol guide, so you bring him in on a warrant and try to find out the truth. He goes up to the squad and they debrief him. During the debriefing the lead detective tells the perpetrator that they have him on camera committing the act where he killed someone. The perpetrator breaks down in tears and admits to the act and cooperates in order to help lower his sentence. They make the perpetrator confess to the murder because in his mind, the evidence already exists, yet truthfully the evidence does not. The same scenario can be used and the immoral means to gain a confession could also be excessive force and brutality. The means of putting away a murderer behind bar is a great moral end. However the means that brought the confession, the lie and or physical abuse, is morally wrong in everyday society. This is just one example of how police officers use immoral means in order to get a justified and moral end.
Another example is when a police officer has a confidential informant. The confidential informant gives really good tips and information that has helped bring down many drug dealers in the neighborhood. However, the confidential informant has also been caught on numerous occasions taking drugs and sometimes selling them in small amounts. The police officers turn away or have a blind eye to his criminal acts in order to keep their confidential information cooperative with current information on neighborhood drug dealers. The police officers are once again achieving