Project Paper

I. Ethical Theories and Personal Values

A. Identify the ethical theory you would rely upon to address this dilemma, and describe why it would be effective.

B. How do you separate personal morals from ethics, and why is this important?

C. When is it appropriate to let your morals guide your actions? Why?

II. Duties

A. Describe your course of action if you were faced with this dilemma. Why would this reaction be appropriate and effective?

B. What is your responsibility as a professional in this scenario? Defend your response.

C. Does your ethical responsibility take precedence over your personal views? What do you do if the two are conflicting? D. Identify the impact of society’s changing views of acceptable behavior as it applies to a criminal justice practitioner’s duties.

Guidelines for Submission: Your short paper needs to be 2–3 pages in length double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font. Include APA citations as needed.

Scenario: You are working the midnight shift as a police officer. You receive a call to respond to a one-car accident where the car left the roadway and impacted with a tree. Upon your arrival, you see the badly damaged car up against the tree. There are no skid marks apparent and no witnesses around. You approach the car and find the apparent driver behind the wheel. You immediately recognize the driver to be the mayor of your town. You immediately notice signs that the mayor is impaired by alcohol, including the smell of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath, the slurring of his speech, and the lethargy he is exhibiting. The mayor tells you that he swerved to avoid a dog, lost control and hit the tree. The mayor is not injured. When you ask the mayor if he has consumed alcohol, he tells you that he was at retirement dinner and only had one glass of wine. The mayor asks you to just complete an accident report and give him a ride home. You question him further, telling him you are concerned that he was driving while impaired. The mayor tells you that he is not impaired and not to worry about anything because you never actually saw him driving. The mayor goes on to tell you that he will not say anything to anyone, and he lets you know that he has a lot of influence with what goes on at the police station, and that he has had his eye on you as an up-and-comer. You know that you could just complete an accident report identifying the cause of the accident as swerving to avoid an animal in the roadway. If you do not tell anyone that the mayor was drinking and he does not tell anyone, what is the worst that could happen?