Police Powers, Ethics and Professionalism

Law enforcement require clarity around scope of powers and professional expectations. Students examine legislated authorities and best practices related to detention, arrest, search, release and use of force. Through extensive review of statute law and case law, students explore the subjective nature of the rule of law and the necessary scrutiny around the application of police authorities. Importantly, students analyze various schools of thought regarding ethical behavior and decision-making. Topics such as fair and impartial policing help to understand the impact of personal values and bias in this challenging professional field where there is continuous interaction between values, beliefs, choices and actions. Through experiential learning, students examine the complexities of exercising ethical decision making within a context of nuanced relationships between professional expectation, community expectation and personal belief.