ABSTRACT
Most law enforcement agencies operate with a code of ethics or a code of conduct. Four ideologies are derived from two dominant ethical frameworks in the teaching of law enforcement ethics: idealism and relativism. The four ideologies derived from these ethical frameworks are situationists, subjectivists, absolutists, and exceptionists. In environments with strong organizational ideology, shared participation, charismatic leadership, and intimacy, personnel experience higher job satisfaction and increased productivity. Police culture is the developed trust of leaders, both administrative and below, that must stand a test of time. Police culture is said to have the following elements in its ethos: bravery, autonomy, and secrecy. In law enforcement, it is necessary for police officers to exercise authority on a regular basis throughout an infinite number of actions and in an infinite number of scenarios. There is significant documentation of instances involving police corruption within the mainstream media and an even larger number of unreported instances.
