Originally Posted by Magnet Steve

1. Does a police officer have a moral obligation to agree with all laws they might be tasked with enforcing before joining the force? No

2. Does the act of becoming a cop imply a moral agreement with the current code of laws? No.

3. Does a cop have a moral duty to NOT enforce laws he finds morally repugnant? No If not, does he have a moral duty to turn in his badge and gun rather than enforce the repugnant law No?

4. Are cops morally resonsible for all of their actions, even if required by law and at odds with their own morals? Yes Ps no gender implications intentional

1. Do you have a moral obligation to agree with all rules and guidelines at your workplace before joining said workplace? Obv not.

2.) Does the act of you accepting the job offer imply a moral agreement with the current rules and guidelines of company? Obv not.

3.) Do you have a moral duty to NOT follow the rules and guidelines you find morally repugnant? Not unless you care to be fired.

4.) Are you morally responsible for all of your actions, even if required by law and at odds with your own morals? Obviously.

 

Originally Posted by tommpat2000

 

Originally Posted by rocksolid124

1. Do you have a moral obligation to agree with all rules and guidelines at your workplace before joining said workplace? Obv not.

2.) Does the act of you accepting the job offer imply a moral agreement with the current rules and guidelines of company? Obv not.

3.) Do you have a moral duty to NOT follow the rules and guidelines you find morally repugnant? Not unless you care to be fired.

4.) Are you morally responsible for all of your actions, even if required by law and at odds with your own morals? Obviously.

you are an idiot, he is not a mail clerk, he is a cop

you sign up you enforce the law, not your morals

Maybe I'm an idiot, but I'm pretty sure that's exactly what his answers imply.

i might have misunderstood what he meant, or i guess the question

to me it sounded like he was saying you dont have to arrest someone for something you dont think is morally wrong

 

Originally Posted by tommpat2000

i might have misunderstood what he meant, or i guess the question

to me it sounded like he was saying you dont have to arrest someone for something you dont think is morally wrong

Nah, I def was saying you have to follow the laws...my whole point by saying the questions as related to a usual workplace was to say it really doesn't matter what your morals are telling you about a certain situation...if you want to keep that job, you better follow the guideline or in the case of police work, the law.

 

Originally Posted by rocksolid124

Nah, I def was saying you have to follow the laws...my whole point by saying the questions as related to a usual workplace was to say it really doesn't matter what your morals are telling you about a certain situation...if you want to keep that job, you better follow the guideline or in the case of police work, the law.

My questions are not about the practical "keep your job", but the moral responsibility one has for their actions, especially given the power we yield to those who wear the badge for a living. If we don't hold police officers to an improbably high moral standard, then do morals even matter? If you arrest someone on the basis of an unjust law, the system failed, but so did you (or not... that's the point of the discussion).

 

Originally Posted by rocksolid124

4. Are cops morally resonsible for all of their actions, even if required by law and at odds with their own morals? Yes

 

Originally Posted by rocksolid124

IMO if you agree to be a cop, you agree to enforce the law, whether or not you agree with it or not. Otherwise, there would be no point to the law, given that it wouldn't matter what the actual law said but rather the cop's moral beliefs of that law. However, I don't think that to be a cop, you should have to agree with each and every law. But you do agree to enforce it obviously.

That said, I kinda agree with norcal in the sense that if you're going to join the police force, you probably should agree with at least the majority of the laws...as I don't see how it'd make sense to be an officer if you don't. But whether you agree with them or not, as a cop, you'd obv have to enforce them. THAT is your moral duty as an officer imo?

These two thoughts seem to be at odds, unless I am misunderstanding. If you have both a moral duty to enforce all laws, and are morally responsible for all your actions, then does that potentially create catch-22's for police officers, especially ones with strong religious or philosophical views.

 

Originally Posted by rocksolid124

It does create a conflict for sure. But then again, you can get this conflict in any occupation really. It just comes with the territory, and life isn't fair or simple a lot of the time, and that's just the way it is. But we can't have cops who just say to hell with the law when it doesn't support their own moral beliefs.

It may come with the territory in any occupation, but in very few other occupations do you have such a direct, significant, potentially life-altering impact on those you deal with, both directly and indirectly.