Prejudice and Ethics in Law Enforcement

Preventing Bias-Based Profiling
Law enforcement officers can sometimes reflect personal and cultural bias in the exercising of their duties as a law enforcement agent. For example, when developing a criminal profile, victim profile or geographical profile, preconceived notions of what certain people from certain backgrounds—whether ethnic, religious or socio-economical—are like can alter the officer’s perception of reality. In order to mitigate the influence of bias in policing, law enforcement agencies have to be conscious and mindful of strategies that can be used to prevent bias-based profiling. This paper will propose two strategies for dealing with the law enforcement subculture, as it relates to bias-based profiling. One strategy will be from an ethical perspective and the other will be in terms of preventing bias-base discriminations from creating adverse social conditions that impede the peaceful functioning of social systems and society as a whole.
From a utilitarian ethics standpoint, society should pursue that which is the greatest good for the greatest number of people (Driver, 2014). In a liberal democratic society such as that which exists in the United States, the charter so to speak of the people is to respect others and allow them to pursue life, liberty and happiness so long as it does not infringe upon the natural rights of their fellow neighbors. This is the essence of the Constitution, which law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold. The ethic of the land, therefore, is epitomized in the concept of utilitarian ethics, which logically holds that the best course of action is to respect all people regardless of differences and backgrounds, because respect is what helps the ideas of liberty and democracy to flourish. When people viciously confront and attack others just because they are different or hold different opinions that some do not like, they are undermining the ethical backbone of society and harming the essence of the culture. From the utilitarian ethical position, therefore, it is important that all officers be trained to hold, show and maintain respect for all people of all cultures that they may meet in the real world, especially as many districts are now very diverse with a wide range of people of various ethnicities, backgrounds and persuasions.
The other strategy to be implemented in order to prevent bias-based discriminations from creating adverse social conditions that impede the peaceful functioning of social systems and society as a whole is to practice community-based policing, which puts the members of the community at the front and center of law enforcement services. In other words, police officers go out into the streets and interact with members of the community in positive ways so that trust and strong relationships are established. Community oriented policing is an effective means of reducing the risk of bias and prejudice in the law enforcement subculture as it gets real officers out in front of real members of the community and helps to break down barriers, dispel illusions based on stereotyping and ignorance, and enable officers to become better acquainted with the people they have sworn to protect. As Fridell (2016) notes, community oriented policing is a good strategy that law enforcement departments can implement to overcome issues of violence, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, bigotry, and fear in communities that have struggled with tension between groups, and where anxiety about gangs or radicals has arisen.
The more that law enforcement officers are able to operate from an ethical standpoint that teaches respect and get to know the members of the community they are there to serve, the less likelihood there is of bias-based profiling occurring.