The Experience

Two years ago, an ethical dilemma presented itself to me suddenly and unexpectedly, as such things often will.   A police officer is sometimes required to act as a Field Training Officer (FTO), which translates to riding on duty shifts with a new officer.  Essentially, the FTO is in place to provide an experienced perspective a rookie in the field may require, as well as evaluate the new officer’s performance and capabilities, and I was assigned to do this.  It was not a role I especially wished to fulfill but, as a responsible officer, it was one I took on to perform to the best of my abilities.

The rookie, or probationer, was barely known to me; our acquaintance only developed in the course of the work, and not to any appreciable depth.  This officer, whom I will call J, and I were out patrolling in a particularly bad part of town, and on a bitterly cold evening.  A vehicle in front of us disregarded two stop signs, which is more than probable cause for pulling it over.  The driver complied and stopped the car at a curb.  Observing procedure, J and I made our approach.  It was apparent that the driver, whom I will call M, was very likely intoxicated: his eyes were bloodshot, his speech was slurred, and he had difficulty in following the simple directions we gave.  The indications were too obvious to ignore, and we administered the Standardized Field Sobriety Tests (SFSTs), which the driver failed.

M, however, was known to me; he was a fellow police officer in my department.   Both J and I conducted the tests with this knowledge, although the authority to make the decision to arrest was clearly with me.  Obviously, this would mean seriously impairing that officer’s career and reputation, and this was the ethical dilemma blatantly before me.  The arrest was made because, as will be clarified, I could see no remotely ethical way to avoid making it, even as I was aware of potential issues and conflicts arising from my action.

Ethical Dilemma

It struck me at the time, as it strikes me now, that adhering to an ethical principle does not eradicate discomfort.  Plainly, I did not enjoy arresting a fellow officer.  The police are notorious for looking after one another, and there is good reason for this, as those outside of the force cannot truly appreciate the demands of the job.  Moreover, my situation was not eased by a difference in rank.  That is, I could not point to an unavoidable obligation to perform a duty dictated by my being of superior rank to this officer.

The ethics of this scenario were more complex than it might appear.  The primary dilemma was relatively clear: to evince solidarity with a peer in the force and allow him to go on his way – provided we ensured he did so safely – or conform to the law both he and I were sworn to uphold.  Beyond this, however, was an underlying ethical concern, that of my responsibility to the rookie in my charge.  My decision in this case would certainly involve this officer as well, in terms of presenting him with a subsequent ethical dilemma of his own.  Were I to release M, he, in turn, would have to decide if he was ethically all right in cooperating with the covert action.

I experienced some measure of conflict, chiefly because I was not immune to the feeling that police officers should accommodate each other as much as possible.  Moreover, I was quite sure that M did not intend to violate the law in this way; he made a mistake, as most intoxicated drivers do.  I also contemplated the potential repercussions, and to all concerned.  I did not desire being ostracized by my department for failing to support a peer any more than I wanted M to suffer from his foolishness, and it seemed to me that both outcomes were very probable if I arrested him.  Above these concerns, however, was one more urgent to me.  I did not wish to start a new officer off on his career by setting so inappropriate an example of flouting the law.   If my conflict swayed me to possibly letting the incident pass, this one factor decided me.

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