ETHICS AND MORALITY IN LAW ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION PROCESSING (FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT DATA PROCESSING SYMPOSIUM, APRIL 18-19, 1977 BY ALLEN L PEARSON 2D - SEE NCJ-45130)

• NCJ Number: 45136
• Author(s): L L GOLDMAN
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 14 pages
• Corporate Author: International Assoc of Chiefs of Police
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

FIVE QUESTIONS PERTAINING TO ETHICS AND MORALITY IN THE LAW ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION-PROCESSING FUNCTION ARE ADDRESSED FROM THE STANDPOINT OF CONTEMPORARY ETHICS AND MORAL STANDARDS.

Abstract

CONTEMPORARY ETHICS AND MORALITY, AS DISTINGUISHED FROM CLASSICAL OR SITUATIONAL ETHICS AND MORALITY, ARE THE CODES AND STANDARDS BY WHICH MOST PEOPLE OPERATE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. THE QUESTIONS ADDRESSED ARE THE FOLLOWING: CAN INFORMATION-PROCESSING HARDWARE TECHNOLOGY POSSESS ETHICAL OR MORAL QUALITIES? CAN INFORMATION-PROCESSING APPLICATIONS POSSESS ETHICAL OR MORAL QUALITIES? CAN AN APPLICATION THAT IS ETHICAL AND MORAL BE CONSIDERED LEGAL? CAN CURRENT POLICE CODES OF ETHICS MEET THE NEEDS OF CIVILIAN DATA-PROCESSING PERSONNEL IN LAW ENFORCEMENT? SHOULD ETHICAL AND MORAL STANDARDS BE ESTABLISHED FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT INFORMATION PROCESSING? IF INFORMATION HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGY ARE VIEWED AS A DIRECT EXTENSION OF HUMAN ACTIONS, THEN ETHICAL QUALITIES CAN BE ASSIGNED TO THESE TECHNOLOGIES. HOWEVER, BECAUSE MORALITY INVOLVES VOLUNTARY HUMAN CONDUCT, MORAL QUALITIES CANNOT BE ASSIGNED TO HARDWARE TECHNOLOGY ITSELF. INFORMATION-PROCESSING APPLICATIONS (COMPUTER SOFTWARE) CAN BE ETHICAL OR UNETHICAL, MORAL OR IMMORAL. ALTHOUGH AN INFORMATION-PROCESSING APPLICATION CAN BE ETHICAL AND MORAL AND STILL BE LEGAL, ETHICAL AND MORAL CHARACTERISTICS DO NOT ENSURE LEGALITY. POLICE CODES OF ETHICS APPEAR TO OFFER LITTLE GUIDANCE TO DATA-PROCESSING PERSONNEL. A SEPARATE CODE OF STANDARDS SHOULD BE ESTABLISHED TO GUIDE LAW ENFORCEMENT AND CIVILIAN PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN PROCESSING LAW ENFORCEMENT DATA. (LKM)