Police Officer Misconduct: Off-Duty Violations of US Laws - Essay Sample

Introduction

Police offices in most cases have diverse powers which allow them to undertake their duties. The US Constitutions, among other laws, nevertheless, states restrictions on how far they can go while enforcing the law. When police officers go against these laws, they are said to engage in police misconduct which is illegal and inappropriate. It can be either misconduct on the job or off duty behavior. For this paper, however, the focus will be on police off-duty officer misconduct. Therefore, it is essential to comprehend some of the most common forms of police off-duty officer misconduct, their causes and consequences, and what commanders of police agencies can do to prevent them.

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Common Forms of Police Off-Duty Officer Misconduct

A common type of police off-duty officer misconduct is hit and run traffic accident. Massey cites an instance where a veteran drunk police officer and off duty was involved in a hit-and-run traffic accident (Fitch, 2013, p.385). He states that the police officer ended injuring two pedestrians who luckily were not seriously injured. This misconduct, however, could have been prevented if the officer had submitted his vehicle keys as requested by his fellow off-duty officer. The office was later arrested and charged since this off-duty misconduct is illegal and punishable with severe consequences.

Another form of police off-duty misconduct is when civilians are shot by off duty police officers. This form of misconduct was evident in the city of Pittsburgh when two settlements were made involving off-duty police officers. Among them, involved a settlement of $40,000 where a civilian was unintentionally shot by an off-duty police officer (Fitch, 2013, p.386). This, however, occurred when both the victim and the officer engaged in a tussle. It was prompted by the belief by the officer that the victim had assaulted him. Therefore, just like any other illegal and inappropriate behavior, the officer was charged in court of law which led to settlement of $40,000.

Police off-duty officer misconducts can also revolve around patterns of abuse by off-duty officers. An example of such abuse as the Massey states was cited when police officer speed off-duty (Fitch, 2013, p.387). Unlike other forms of off-duty misconducts, speeding off-duty for police officers goes unchallenged unless there is a complain. Their punishments are insignificant such as written or verbal reminder to adhere to speed limits. They should, however, be punishable to help reduce the rate of crashes which Massey attributes to speeding (Fitch, 2013, p.387).

Causes and Consequences of Off-Duty Officer Misconduct

A significant cause of police off-duty misconducts is the stressful nature of policing. According to Massey, police officers are prone to numerous stressors associated with their dangerous duties (Fitch, 2013, p.385). There are many components of law enforcements which result in stress reactions on police officers such as physical ailments, unsupportive management, negative public perceptions, pending retirement, and shit works (Fitch, 2013, p.389). Where these elements are aggravated or compounded by personal issues, for example, substance abuse, financial hardships, and strained relations, police officers in most cases, find themselves experiencing severe stress causing them to engage in off-duty misconducts.

Conversely, a major consequence of off-duty misconduct is increasing mistrust of law enforcement. Massey states that with every new story of misconducts, there is an increase in mistrust of law enforcement (Fitch, 2013, p.387). This, in turn, affects the police-community relations as well as reputation of ethical, hardworking, and good police officers and ultimately makes their organizational name tainted. Therefore, to reduce the impact of these consequences, law enforcement should create a working relationship with media to respond to such misconducts that are likely to undermine any community policing and public relations efforts (Fitch, 2013, p.388).

Preventing Off-Duty Officer Misconduct

Commanders of police agencies can discourage police officer from drinking and encourage them to utilize departmental gyms to reduce stress. Massey found that one of the significant causes of off-duty is stress such as post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD) resulting from threatened with death by knives and guns (Fitch, 2013, p.390). Therefore, to reduce stress, police agencies should inspire police office to engage in gym activities. Gym activities and exercising generate endorphins, a brain chemical which acts as a natural painkiller (Kumar & Bhukar, 2013, p.10). It enhances the ability to sleep that helps decrease stress which in turn help prevent off-duty misconducts as police officers try to reduce stress through drinking.

Conclusion

Police off-duty officer misconduct is an inappropriate and illegal behavior punishable by law. Hit and run traffic accident, shooting civilians, and patterns of abuse by off-duty officers such as speeding are common forms of police off-duty officer misconducts. They are caused by stressful nature of policing and led to increased mistrust of law enforcement. However, commanders of police agencies can discourage them by encouraging police officers to engage in the gym to reduce stress as a major cause of police off-duty officer misconducts.

References

Fitch, B. D. (Ed.). (2013). Law Enforcement Ethics. Sage. https://books.google.com/books?id=YhAi-SIrY8UC&pg=PA291&lpg=PA291&dq=law+enforcement+ethics+fitch+b&source=bl&ots=doIhSsxLK7&sig=ACfU3U2LWvGo2_lbR3whfHRS0JfW4JVeOw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjtwYOWktbkAhWAGTQIHZzxBS4Q6AEwGHoECAwQAQ#v=onepage&q=law%20enforcement%20ethics%20fitch%20b&f=false. Accessed 17 Sep 2019.

Kumar, S., & Bhukar, J. P. (2013). Stress level and coping strategies of college students. Journal of Physical Education and Sport Management, 4(1), 5-11.