Explain what an ethical dilemma is and name four categories of ethical dilemmas typically faced by ...

o Criminologists Joycelyn M. Pollock and Ronald F. Becker define an ethical dilemma as a situation in which law enforcement officers:
 do not know the right course of action;
 have difficulty doing what they consider to be right; and/or
 find the wrong choice very tempting.
o There are four categories of ethical dilemmas:
 Discretion. The law provides rigid guidelines for how police officers must act and how they cannot act, but it does not offer guidelines for how officers should act in many circumstances.
 Duty. The concept of discretion is linked with duty, or the obligation to act in a certain manner.
 Honesty. Of course, honesty is a critical attribute for an ethical police officer. A law enforcement agent must make hundreds of decisions in a day, and most of them require him or her to be honest in order to properly do the job.
 Loyalty. What should a police officer do if he or she witnesses a partner using excessive force on a suspect? The choice often sets loyalty against ethics, especially if the officer does not condone the violence.