Ethical & Effective Leadership: Reflection
To me, this learning outcome of the program logically evaluates and applies to three concepts, transparency, intra-agency trust, and the ethical use of technology. The concepts are interconnected in many ways but it leads me to both ethical and effective leadership. The program has definitively made me aware of the many leadership, ethical, and effective policies which will make me a better leader. Throughout the academic work of the program and the interaction with professors and peers, I’ve also learned the importance of transparency, intra-agency trust, and the ethical use of technology.
In my modest opinion, transparency can make or break the relationships with the community and stakeholders. For example, in my essay “Maintaining Transparency”, recent crimes were depicted to be bias-motivated between law enforcement agencies and the African-American community. When communication is poor especially in high profile cases, society wants to hear the facts of the case. When agencies failed to effectively communicate with the community, society forms their own views of the facts and they articulate the distrust in the justice system. What I’ve learned about maintaining transparency with the community is learning how to effectively provide enough information to the community without jeopardizing the integrity of an ongoing investigation
Also, I would argue that ethical and effective leadership is the result of intra-agency trust. Building trust and legitimacy must first come within the organization. I’ve learned that without the internal trust of the ranks, officers fail to focus on the core values. Leading to morale and disunion issues. For example, in my essay “President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing” to promote democracy, the trust must exist between law enforcement and the people they serve and protect. The intra-department trust, helps officers project confidence to the people they interact daily by changing the culture of law enforcement to one that embraces a guardian rather than a warrior mindset.
Technology advancements have created more efficient ways to do police work. However, just because technology is available it doesn’t mean we get to use it and violate people’s Constitutional Rights. There’s an ethical boundary that we must consider. For example, utilizing technology like Body Worn Cameras (BWC), drones, or biometrics are beneficial to law enforcement work. Effective and ethical policies and procedures dictate how and when the technology will be use. For example, a concerned from the community arises when officers get to view the captured video to write their reports or when agencies refuse to release the contentment of the video to the public. In my essay “The Ethical and Practical Aspects of Implementing a BWC Deployment” one of the main issues was how to properly released BWC footage to the public without violating any privacy laws or hindering an ongoing investigation.
In conclusion, there is no one size fits all approach when dealing with ethics and effective leadership. Concepts like transparency, intra-department trust, and ethical use of technology are a few aspects of how to achieve integrity and effective leadership within our own agencies. Is up to us (LE Leaders) to apply the tools gained in the program to keep up with the evolution of policing in the 21st century. It can only be achieved if our ethics, values, and integrity are set to work for the people we all under oath promise to protect and serve.
References:
LEPS 510 Communication for Law Enforcement Leaders. Module 5 Communicating with the Public Transparency and Truth in Reporting.
LEPS 520 Community Engagement. Module 1 Introduction to Community Engagement.
LEPS 530 Public Safety Law. Module 6 Law Enforcement Ethical and Practical Approach to Deployment of BWC.
To me, this learning outcome of the program logically evaluates and applies to three concepts, transparency, intra-agency trust, and the ethical use of technology. The concepts are interconnected in many ways but it leads me to both ethical and effective leadership. The program has definitively made me aware of the many leadership, ethical, and effective policies which will make me a better leader. Throughout the academic work of the program and the interaction with professors and peers, I’ve also learned the importance of transparency, intra-agency trust, and the ethical use of technology.
In my modest opinion, transparency can make or break the relationships with the community and stakeholders. For example, in my essay “Maintaining Transparency”, recent crimes were depicted to be bias-motivated between law enforcement agencies and the African-American community. When communication is poor especially in high profile cases, society wants to hear the facts of the case. When agencies failed to effectively communicate with the community, society forms their own views of the facts and they articulate the distrust in the justice system. What I’ve learned about maintaining transparency with the community is learning how to effectively provide enough information to the community without jeopardizing the integrity of an ongoing investigation
Also, I would argue that ethical and effective leadership is the result of intra-agency trust. Building trust and legitimacy must first come within the organization. I’ve learned that without the internal trust of the ranks, officers fail to focus on the core values. Leading to morale and disunion issues. For example, in my essay “President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing” to promote democracy, the trust must exist between law enforcement and the people they serve and protect. The intra-department trust, helps officers project confidence to the people they interact daily by changing the culture of law enforcement to one that embraces a guardian rather than a warrior mindset.
Technology advancements have created more efficient ways to do police work. However, just because technology is available it doesn’t mean we get to use it and violate people’s Constitutional Rights. There’s an ethical boundary that we must consider. For example, utilizing technology like Body Worn Cameras (BWC), drones, or biometrics are beneficial to law enforcement work. Effective and ethical policies and procedures dictate how and when the technology will be use. For example, a concerned from the community arises when officers get to view the captured video to write their reports or when agencies refuse to release the contentment of the video to the public. In my essay “The Ethical and Practical Aspects of Implementing a BWC Deployment” one of the main issues was how to properly released BWC footage to the public without violating any privacy laws or hindering an ongoing investigation.
In conclusion, there is no one size fits all approach when dealing with ethics and effective leadership. Concepts like transparency, intra-department trust, and ethical use of technology are a few aspects of how to achieve integrity and effective leadership within our own agencies. Is up to us (LE Leaders) to apply the tools gained in the program to keep up with the evolution of policing in the 21st century. It can only be achieved if our ethics, values, and integrity are set to work for the people we all under oath promise to protect and serve.
References:
LEPS 510 Communication for Law Enforcement Leaders. Module 5 Communicating with the Public Transparency and Truth in Reporting.
LEPS 520 Community Engagement. Module 1 Introduction to Community Engagement.
LEPS 530 Public Safety Law. Module 6 Law Enforcement Ethical and Practical Approach to Deployment of BWC.