RUNNING

HEAD: PROMOTING ETHICAL AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP 1

Promoting Ethical and Effective Leadership for

Law Enforcement and Public Safety Organizations

Steven Shea

University of San Diego

PROMOTING ETHICAL AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP 2

In examining papers prepared for the Law Enforcement and Public Safety Leadership

program, three stand out as promoting ethical and effective leadership. Critical Issues in Law

Enforcement demonstrates that crime is more complex than the lead news story. The release

of psychological evaluations of police officers is an important issue for leaders to explore before

a crisis occurs. Finally, keeping abreast of Brady issues is critical for any law enforcement or

public safety official.

The Current Issues in Law Enforcement course provided an overall view of law

enforcement from an empirical view. Drugs are a terrible problem, but, as determined by

Robinson in 2005, alcohol accounts for over five times the number of deaths in the United

States versus drugs (Walsh, 2012). The study of immigration and the effect on crime continues

to be very important for law enforcement. Regardless of the rhetoric today, foreign born

persons tend to be incarcerated at about one-quarter the rate of US born citizens without a

high school diploma (Ewing, Martinez, & Rumbaut, 2015). Finally, the realization that seventy-

nine percent of African-Americans believe police are more likely to use deadly force on blacks

than on whites (Sussman, 2015) provides empirical evidence as to why law enforcement is

experiencing significant unrest after tragic shootings of unarmed African-Americans. The

forgoing facts are critical to me as a law enforcement executive. Rather than listen to hype and

conjecture, I have facts, based on in-depth studies, to make decisions that can help keep my

community safe.

The study of case law related to releasing pre-employment psychological exams is a

critical topic for law enforcement leaders. In 1994, the US District Court ruled that

psychological exams could be withheld from plaintiffs (Mason v. Stock, 1994). In 2004, my
PROMOTING ETHICAL AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP 3

agency suffered a tragic loss when a sergeant was murdered in the line of duty. During the

ensuing trial, the defense attorneys sought to obtain records of therapeutic psychological

counseling sessions of employees. The therapist was willing to hand over the documents

without protest. Knowing the information in this case study provides me with a strong basis to

deal with a similar situation in the future.

During spring 2016, the Public Safety Law course dealt with several issues facing law

enforcement today. Specifically, the paper examining the records management system (RMS)

in light of Brady v. Maryland was on point to discussions occurring at work. The Brady decision

requires that all potentially exculpatory information be handed over to the defense (Brady v.

Maryland, 1963). The RMS my agency used at the time was creating a significant Brady issue

and resulted in numerous discussions with the prosecuting attorneys office. These discussions

led my agency to abandon the RMS and purchase a new product.

The topics of these papers were timely and enlightening for issues in my workplace.

Having empirical data regarding actual crime problems and causes helps facilitate better

decision making. Knowing case law regarding personnel files helps to ensure privacy for our

employees while meeting the needs of the community. Examining the Brady decision proved to

be vital in moving to a new RMS. Clearly these topics promote ethical and effective leadership

in a modern law enforcement agency.

For additional information, please click: http://shea167.weebly.com/

 PROMOTING ETHICAL AND EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP 4

REFERENCE

Brady v. Maryland. (1963, May 13) United States Supreme Court, 373 U.S. 83 (1963). Retrieved from

https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/373/83/case.html

Ewing, W., Martinez, D., & Rumbaut, R. (2015, July 8) The Criminalization of Immigration in the United

States. American Immigration Council. Retrieved from

http://www.immigrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/docs/the_criminalization_of_immigration

_in_the_united_states_final.pdf

Mason v. Stock. (1994, August 24) U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. 869 F. Supp. 828 (D.

Kan. 1994) Retrieved from http://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-

courts/FSupp/869/828/1495481/

Sussman, D. (2015, May 4) Negative view of U.S. race relations grows, poll finds. The New York Times.

Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/05/us/negative-view-of-us-race-relations-

grows-poll-finds.html?_r=0

Walsh, A. (2012) Criminology: The essentials. Los Angeles, CA: Sage.