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Police officers in the event of emergency situations in which their lives or the lives of other people may be in danger have the right to use suppressive forces, including firearms. This may be justified in cases and in the manner prescribed by law. The abuse of such rights is a real threat to the quality of life of society; therefore, this aspect requires additional guarantees of legitimacy and ethics from the police. The police code of ethics requires law enforcement officers to do everything possible to save as many people as possible. An international instrument of the UN categorically prohibits carrying out, inciting, or tolerating torture, cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment of detainees or arrested persons (Papazoglou, & Blumberg, 2019). At the same time, under no circumstances can a police officer justify the application of these measures by reference to orders, orders from higher officials, exceptional circumstances, or any other state of emergency. The study of what actions in certain scenarios will be optimal for officers can help in further research regarding police ethics.
Given the right to kill a dangerous criminal, it is not reasonable to endanger the lives of drivers, passengers, and other road users by shooting at a moving vehicle from another car. Such actions can entail serious remediation since an innocent citizen may be injured during a shootout. In this case, the policeman will have to be punished, and therefore such situations should not be allowed. However, situations may arise in which the policeman is forced to make quick decisions, and it is necessary to shoot at the driver. For example, when the car is aimed at a crowd of people and the policeman is not in his vehicle. This scenario implies that the driver should be shot, as this may change the trajectory of the car or slow down its speed. However, the situation can be completely different, for example, when the person driving such a car is not a terrorist but has lost consciousness. In this case, the police officer can kill an innocent person who has health problems. From an ethical point of view, shooting at the driver can be justified if the police officer is sure that there are no people around who could get hurt. However, in the conditions of a chase in a city where there are many people on the streets, this scenario is unlikely and, therefore, unethical.
It is safer, in this case, to fire not to kill a criminal who is moving in a vehicle but to stop the car. To do this, the policeman can start shooting targets at the tire. Shooting at tires means that the aim of the firearm should be at a lower level and, accordingly, the police officer has a lower chance of hitting a bystander. Targeting the tires can make it harder for the cop to aim, but if successful, it will result in a more effective arrest than trying to shoot the driver. In this way, it will be possible to try to detain the offender alive to testify and the subsequent trial and disclosure of all his crimes. Tire shooting is a compromise option as it aims to stop the perpetrator without resorting to extreme measures. Shooting at the tires is justified in most cases, as it can prevent the suspect from further crimes if successful. Thus, from the ethical side, this will be the most appropriate action since the police will act in such a way as to protect the people around the incident as much as possible.
The third option is inaction, which may or may not have more severe consequences. In this case, the correctness of the action is determined by the degree of danger to the offender. If they are dangerous killers or terrorists, choosing not to act may result in them fleeing the police. In this case, there is a high probability that they will continue to kill people. Then the act of the police officers will not have any ethical justification since other people will indirectly suffer because of this. The option of no action can be one of the most difficult to accept because the police officer must act quickly and ethically, and in some cases, such a decision is made due to the impossibility of acting. However, if the suspect is not dangerous or unarmed and is suspected of a minor administrative offense, then inaction may not bring serious consequences. Catching the criminal is important in any scenario, but shooting and endangering people does not make sense if the target is a novice.
Proper instruction plays an important role in making the correct ethical decision for the police officer regarding the choice of action. From this, the future will depend not only on the lives of other people who may become potential victims of criminals but also on the career of the policeman himself. The application of ethical standards is important from a moral point of view, and therefore, when making a decision, a police officer must be guided by those options that will lead to the best outcome.
References
Mitchell, C. (2020). Ethics of Gifts and Gratuities in Law Enforcement. Law Enforcement Management Institute of Texas. Web.
Papazoglou, K., & Blumberg, D. (Eds.). (2019). Power: police officer wellness, ethics, and resilience. Academic Press.
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