Can Law Enforcement Hiring Procedures Be Blamed for Officer Misconduct?

When something goes awry, it is typically the individual who is responsible for their own actions. But, when something goes wrong with a police officer, often three is scrutiny placed on the police department that hired them as though there is an inherent character flaw that the individuals doing the hiring should have noticed. Or, a flaw in training that would have otherwise helped them overcome the issue.

But is that a realistic or fair for hiring procedures to be blamed upon officer misconduct?

The reality is regardless of training, and regardless of external evaluation, people make their own choices in life, and in their profession. No one else can be blamed for the bad choices of an officer. Their training dictates what the right thing to do is in any scenario – but it doesn’t mean that officers will choose to make decisions based on what they learned.

 

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