Law enforcement administrators agree that upholding professional ethics and integrity is critically important for the profession. From recruiting and selection, through promotions and assignments, to training and field activities, no other factor weaves such a powerful web through every aspect of policing. There is a critical need to heighten the awareness and visibility of our ethical standards, both internally and externally.

Since its inception, the IACP has been committed to enhancing ethical conduct and integrity among law enforcement professionals. During the last half of the 20th century, the IACP advanced several key ethics documents, including the Code of Ethics and the Oath of Honor, to offer guidance to agencies and individuals for increasing professionalism within law enforcement.

The IACP, through its Police Image and Ethics Committee, places continual focus on this topic in the 21st Century as we strive to assist law enforcement professionals in achieving and maintaining the highest levels of ethical standards while ensuring its continual relevancy to modern policing. 

Further, the IACP’s Leadership in Police OrganizationsSM training program and Woman's Leadership Institute (WLI) seek to ensure the training and development of current and future police leaders includes a robust discussion of ethics. Lessons in both LPO and WLI are devoted to the science and application of ethics in policing. Areas of study include noble cause corruption, becoming a first class “notice” of ethical transgressions, identifying signs of ethical collapse, and identifying leader strategies for creating and maintaining an ethical organization. These areas of study are brought together through practical case studies in order to ensure the understanding and application of the leader thought process as it applies to the continuum of ethical decision making.  

For more information about the IACP's ethics resources contact Tracy Phillips at [email protected].