Reputable conduct: A qualitative study of ethical drifting.

摘要

There are many factors in today's law enforcement environment which challenge police officers and police executives in adhering to ethical values. When police executives fail to lead through a vision of values and ethics, ethical drifting may occur personally as well as within the personnel of their department. The purpose of this qualitative grounded theory study was to explore and compare factors which may cause ethical drifting and the proactive and reactive approaches currently used by police executives in Oklahoma to counter unethical behavior. Data from 20 police executives were analyzed. Police executives provided perceptions of ethical drifting, police culture, police training, and steps taken to prevent ethical drifting within police departments. Major themes included training, culture, and leadership. The minor themes included responsibility and perception. The results of the study can help further educate police executives about ethical drifting at all levels of law enforcement and the importance of organizational administration in assisting officers in acknowledging and overcoming ethical drifting.