Criminal Justice Essay
docx
keyboard_arrow_up
School
Alabama State University *
*We aren’t endorsed by this school
Course
248
Subject
Philosophy
Date
Dec 6, 2023
Type
docx
Pages
2
Uploaded by kray4493
The most important part of the paper centers on the ethical dilemma
the Criminal Justice Professional faces. How do you write this part up?
Start off by discussing the decision that the officer made. Then discuss
all the possible choices that Officer could have selected as his choice of
action.
Example: The Police Officer in the Steven Perkins case yelled out, "Hey,
hey Police? Get on the ground!" Then almost immediately shots were
fired and Perkins died. First, we must examine the law under Tennessee
v. Gardner (1985) in which the Supreme Court held that a Police Officer
many only use deadly force when his life is threatened or when
someone's else's life is at stake. If the Officer thought that Perkins held
a gun and it was pointed at him then the Officer had the right to use
deadly force on Perkins. Only then would the Officer be justified in
killing Perkins as that is an example of a Justifiable Homicide. But, if
the Office thought that Perkins held a gun then his first words should
have been, "Police, drop the gun!" But, the directive by the Officer
made no mention of a gun and told Perkins to get on the ground.
Examining agency policy and Police Training Academy procedure
reveals that officers are taught to issue a directive then allow the
citizen time to comply. No time was given to Perkins as almost as soon
as the directive was given 12 shots rang out and Perkins was dead. So,
clearly policy and procedure and Academy training policies were not
followed. If the Officer was uncertain that Perkins held a gun then he
should not have shot Perkins. If he thought Perkins did have a gun, the
Officer should have yelled, "Police, drop the gun" and given Perkins
time to comply. Perkins was not issued an order to drop the gun and if
he had been issued such an order, Perkins would have thought, "Oh,
they think I have a gun, I better drop this cell phone." Or, if he did in
fact hold a gun, Perkins would have had a chance to drop the gun and
save his life. But, this option was not given to Perkins. If the Officer did
not think that Perkins held a gun in his hand, then the Officer could
have de-escalated the situation by saying, "The Police are here with
the Repo man to get the car." This sentence de-escalates things as
then Perkins would know they are not there to arrest him but just to
get the car. Perkins could then have said, "You got the wrong man and
the wrong car, I paid for this car in full." Then the Officer and Repo man
could have double-checked their information for the man and the car
they were truly out to get. Mistakes are often made. Or, Perkins could
have said, "No, I owe money but you aren't taking my car!" Then if no
gun was involved the police could have used a taser, rubber bullets, or
thrown a net over Perkins if he wanted to fight. If in fact, the Officer did
not think that Perkins had a gun why did he shoot Perkins? The Flight
or Fight Response is triggered in a moment of intense danger and the
Officer's blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration all when up. The
Officer should have regained control of his brain and body with heavy
deep breathing so he could focus and consider all possible alternatives
to shooting Perkins. A Police Officer must make the best decision when
faced with an ethical dilemma and whatever decision he makes will be
scrutinized and investigated. A Criminal Justice Professional must
control his fear, his emotions and make sound ethical decisions for
everyone involved in the incident. Or, he may face firing and possible
prison time.
Conclusion: Wraps things up, hits the highlights of the most important
facts, reviews the incident from the viewpoint of Perkins, and reviews
every choice and possible consequences from each choice that the
Officer could have made in that situation with the facts as he knew
them then, and in the end the student offers the reader the best
possible choice that could have been made in that hot minute.
Your preview ends here
Eager to read complete document? Join bartleby learn and gain access to the full version
- Access to all documents
- Unlimited textbook solutions
- 24/7 expert homework help