BRIDGING THE GAP: INSTILLING MORAL COURAGE AND IMPELLING MORAL ACTION IN THE PUBLIC SAFETY SPHERE

The credibility and legitimacy of law enforcement agencies are largely contingent on the moral behavior of their workforces. Recent and historical instances of moral failure have reduced public trust in law enforcement organizations and undermined their missions. A better understanding of the determinants of moral behavior and drivers of moral failure in policing is needed to craft meaningful strategies that enhance the moral competence of individual officers. Using a relational developmental systems (RDS) approach, this thesis investigates the individual, team, organizational, and situational dimensions of law enforcement to identify conditions that influence moral behavior. The Los Angeles Police Department’s Rampart CRASH scandal, Baltimore Police Department’s Gun Trace Task Force scandal, and death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police are used as case studies to test theoretical assertions and provide consistency. This research affirms the linkage between the individual and context, as posited by RDS. Findings of this work include the importance of value congruence, a multidimensional preference for disengagement, and the power exercised by salience, socialization, and self-efficacy in manifesting moral action. From these conclusions, this thesis recommends integrating ethical considerations throughout law enforcement training, reimaging the field training program as a moral apprenticeship, and adopting a just-culture approach to ethical accountability.

Department dc:contributor.department

National Security Affairs (CHDS)

Grantor dc:publisher

Monterey, CA; Naval Postgraduate School

Year dc:date.issued

2022

Author dc:creator

• Luedtke, Alvin P.

Advisors dc:contributor.advisor

• Wollman, Lauren
• Brown, Shannon A.

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright is reserved by the copyright owner.

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10945/71500

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:calhoun.nps.edu:10945/71500