Should peace officers be held to a higher standard than civilians?

            Peace officers should be held to a higher standard than civilians because they are in the position where the people must elevate them to such status in order to feel secured and protected. If peace officers are viewed to be in the same level as the civilians, the people would feel less secured about the service they give to the community.

Moreover, the peace officers deserve to be held in high standard since they are the “experts” in their fields. And since their field is enforcement of the law, then they are expected to possess higher standards of morality and justice. This is the same as holding a doctor to a higher standard than the ordinary person in terms of someone who can give medical assistance or help. This is the same as holding a teacher to a higher standard than the ordinary person in terms of someone whom we can entrust in the education of our children. Naturally, we expect them, the doctor and the teacher, to behave in a better manner than the ordinary person. Since they are doctors and teachers, we do not expect them to molest and sexually abuse our children. If they are held in the same standard as a regular person, we would not entrust the lives of our children in their hands.

Similarly but on a different area, the same high standard should be expected of our peace officers. By holding the peace officers in high regard, the communities are then better served. For instance, in cases of emergency, the person/s needs to have someone whom he can trust implicitly. If peace officers are regarded in the same standard as the average civilian, then he will not be able to give the kind of assurance to the person in need of his help. Then, despite his expertise, he might not be able to perform his job properly.

As to holding them to higher standard of morality, again, it comes with the territory. If the community cannot expect the peace officers to have such high standards of morality, the system will definitely fail. For instance, if the members of the community cannot expect their peace officers to be honest and moral individuals, how can they give inform the force about certain crimes? If they think that the peace officers are the same as their neighbors, they might have second thoughts about reporting crimes, fraud and other illegal activities such as selling drugs. The individual who know something might think that the peace officers are involved in such illegal activities. As a result, they might think that reporting such crime will be nothing but a waste of time, at best. And at worst, it might even endanger their lives and the lives of their families. This is the same attitude in the corrupt countries where the people hold their peace officers to low standard. In such places we see a total deterioration and eventual disintegration of the whole justice system. This is the most important reason why peace officers should be held in high standard.

Nevertheless, although the people should hold their peace officers in high standards, they should be aware that these peace officers are also human beings, with faults and virtue. They should take exercise the same caution they exercise when doing business and personal dealings with the civilians whom they do not fully know. As seen in the case of residents of Calgary, Canada, several people were fooled into investing their money in a company owned by a police officer and brother of a highly respected police officer. These people held the police officers in such high standard and thought that they are dealing with honest individuals. They believed that the investment is real only to find out that they were victimized by Ponzi scam or pyramid scheme.

Thus, peace officers should be held in high standard only to a certain degree, such as in the performance of their jobs and in upholding and being part of the justice system. The people should be the ones to put the line between holding them in high standard and trusting them with their money.