Values, Hiring, and Early Organizational Experiences

This chapter explores the ethical foundations of police hiring and early organizational socialization. Contrary to the value-neutral perspective, which assumes pre-hiring procedures are impartial and objective, the chapter argues that policing is inherently a value-based profession. Through rigorous screening, departments engage in value-based hiring, selecting candidates already aligned with the noble cause—a moral commitment to justice that can supersede legal constraints. This value predisposition perspective challenges the values-learned-on-the-job model, asserting that recruits enter the force with pre-existing moral frameworks. The culture of policing, shaped by conservative backgrounds, facilitates value transmission from society to the profession. Training mechanisms, particularly war stories, convey both manifest content (explicit lessons on tactics) and latent content (transmit covert messages about race, loyalty, and acceptable behavior). Occasionally, Black Swans emerge, revealing contradictions between official ethics and street-level practices. These narratives, often delivered by training officers, play a pivotal role in shaping recruits’ understanding of discretion. The chapter critiques the value-neutral model of discretion, which assumes officers make rational, unbiased decisions. Instead, it posits that discretion is predictable when officers’ values are known. This predictability underscores the moral nature of policing decisions, often leading to noble-cause corruption. Ultimately, the chapter calls for ethics training that aligns with the lived realities of police work.