All police chiefs want to communicate to their employees some sort of ethical standard. But how does a chief create a culture that not only embraces ethics and professionalism but also establishes these principles in an infrastructure that will be in place long after the chief leaves? This is one of the most vexing problems chiefs face at the start of their careers and throughout their tenures as leaders.

I have reviewed the general orders and the policies and procedures of the Houston, Texas, Police Department; the Major Cities Chiefs Association; the International Association of Chiefs of Police; and various other federal law enforcement agencies. While the policies and procedures are consistent overall from administration to administration, each department may have a different perspective and philosophy concerning certain policies or particular levels of discipline.¹ All agree that their officers should hold the highest ethical standards as professionals.²

Unfortunately, most policies are written by lawyers, for lawyers.³ For the average officer, this generally means that these policies are far too long and wordy to remember.