Liberty University hosts national conference that puts ethics first in police work

By Carrie J. Sidener

Published: August 27, 2008

Law enforcement officers face ethical decisions on matters of life and death as a part of their job.

And just because something is legal doesn’t mean it is ethical, said one of the speakers Wednesday at The National Intelligence Symposium for Law Enforcement’s annual meeting at Liberty University’s law school.

This year speakers talked about ethics involved in investigations and interrogations.

“We in law enforcement deal with ethics every day of our lives,” said Mark Gage of the National White Collar Crime Center. “Our behavior reflects not only on us as individuals, but on our agencies, our state and our nation.”

The symposium brought together speakers like a former Central Intelligence Agency interrogator, a former U.S. Attorney, a former Judge Advocate General, a deputy from the U.S. Marshals Service as well as law professors and other professionals in law enforcement.

Lynchburg was chosen for its central location in the state. Charles Murphy, founder of the Strategic Policy Institute, said the symposium started as a conversation between him and Bedford County Sheriff Mike Brown.

They talked about the need for a symposium for local law enforcement to talk about ethical challenges facing their profession.

George Buzzy, dean of LU’s Helms School of Government, said ethics in law enforcement is not a sexy topic that brings a lot of participants out, but it is one that needs attention.

Gage said the ethics discussion is not meant to provide answers. He said his hope is to evoke more questions.

Gage cautioned the participants not to confuse ethics with the law. Just because something is legal doesn’t mean it is ethical, he said. An example would be slavery.

“Is it ethical to kill another human being?” Gage said. “Is it legal? What about a police officer acting in self defense or the defense of another? It may be legal. It may be moral. It may be ethical. It may not be.”

Gage said what is or isn’t ethical changes based on the set of circumstances.

“You have a suspect in custody,” Gage said. “You have no doubt that the suspect is the kidnapper of a 12-year-old girl. That girl is a diabetic and will die in a matter of hours if she does not receive her medication. Is it ethical to use force to get him to tell you where she is?

“How imminent is the death of that girl? Are you acting in the defense of another?”

Capt. Tom Martin, director of the Virginia State Police’s Fusion Center, asked the students and law enforcement officers gathered for the seminar to define ethics, who judges it, whether it is situational or absolute and if a good outcome makes for good ethics.

Martin talked about some defining moments in his career, including the terrorist attack on the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001.

“As I stood there and looked at the symbol of American strength crumbling, nothing in my career prepared me for that,” Martin said. “Nothing in law enforcement would be the same. …

“Has the ethical conduct of this nation changed since Sept. 11, 2001? This country is at war, at war with the an enemy who’s desire is to kill you and me and take away everything that is near and dear to our hearts — our freedom.”