Each student must select a recent case of police shooting that has occurred in our county and thoroughly research it

Ethical Issues in the Alton Sterling Shooting
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Introduction
The correlation between the police shooting and the violent crime is alarming. The majority of the American police officers is characterized by the extreme deadly usage of force. It has been reported that the number of police shootings has increased from 465 to 491 over the last six months of the year 2015. On the other hand, the police officers have also been on the receiving end. They have also been shot and sometimes killed while on duty. Over the same period, the country has also witnessed a number of officers prosecuted for shooting. However, it has been noted that the majority of the police shootings are associated with the racial disparities. This is because most of the police shooting within the last 18 months involve a white police officer and a black victim. A study conducted by the UC Davis in the year 2015 revealed that unarmed blacks are more likely to be shot by the police as opposed to the unarmed white counterparts (Kindy et al., 2016). In this paper, the shooting of the black man by the name Alton Sterling will be covered with the help of the ethical systems dilemmas to determine any potential dilemma components in the case.
Summary of the Alton Sterling Shooting
Alton Sterling was a black man of 37 years of age; he was shot dead by the police in June of this year (2016). At the time of his shooting, Alton Sterling was selling CDs in the front of the Triple S Food Mart, which is found in the Baton Rouge.

The event that led to his shooting can be traced from the homeless man who approached him for money. Though Alton Sterling refused to help him, the homeless man showed little effort to leave him alone. As a result, Alton Sterling showed him a gun as an attempt to scare him away. In return, the homeless man decided to dial the emergency number and called the police. The two officers that responded to the emergency call are believed to be responsible for his shooting. The whole episode was captured by the Triple S Food Mart’s surveillance camera. Two quality videos also emerged in the social media that recorded the incident during the killing of the Sterling (Kindy et al., 2016).
It is important to note that Sterling was known to be a respectable, loving, and responsible father. His close confidants believed that he was a friendly individual who cannot initiate a fight. However, Sterling’s history revealed that he had two encounters with the police. Back in the year 2009, he was arrested and charged with illegal firearm and marijuana. He pleaded guilty of the offenses, and he was sentenced prison term of five years. However, it was apparent that the officers that confronted him had no idea of his criminal record (Kindy et al., 2016).
Ethical Dilemma in the Alton Sterling Shooting
For the situation to be considered to be an ethical dilemma, it must meet three conditions. The first condition is when an officer is presented with a situation that forces him or her to make the best and the right decision. Therefore, situations that are considered uncomfortable but does not need a choice are not an ethical dilemma. The second condition is the availability of an optional course of action that an officer can choose from. The third condition is the existence of the compromised ethical principle, regardless of choice and the action taken (Allen, 2013). Based on these conditions, it can be argued that the Alton Sterling shooting exhibited ethical dilemma. From the first condition, the two officers were without a doubt presented by the situation that required radical decision making. The two officers knew that Alton Sterling was armed following the distress call from the homeless man. Though they were unaware of the Sterling’s criminal history, it was apparent that he was a threat to the safety of the two officers. Therefore, they had to make a choice regarding their safety and the safety of the Sterling.
Besides, based on the second condition, the officers had two options to choose from. The options were either to shoot or not to shoot. However, each choice had its merits and demerits. As presented by the Baton Rouge police Chief, the officer fired as a safety measure after Sterling tried to reach for his gun. From the third condition, the decision made by the officer concerning shooting Sterling compromised ethical principles expected of the police officers. It is expected that officers should protect the public and bring the criminals to justice. As a result, shooting Sterling was nevertheless a violation and compromise of the ethical principles of the police officers (Carter, 2011, November).
However, it can be argued that the two police officers failed to use the five fundamental steps in separating facts from concepts together with the identification of the assumptions. This is because it is clear that the officers failed to identify the facts before deciding to shoot. The shooting was not necessary because Sterling had his gun in his pocket. The gun was only removed by one of the officers after the shooting incident. However, I agree with them because they were able to identify relevant values and concepts. This is because by deciding to shoot, they knew that it was the only way that they can remain unharmed (Yan et al., 2016).
Using Ethical Systems Component in Solving Ethical Dilemmas
It is a common saying that good offenses are always the best defenses. Besides, the best method of avoiding unethical activities is to indulge in the activities that have the potential of challenging individual’s moral beliefs, personal values, and the commitment to remain ethical by doing the right thing. However, in order to do the right thing, it is of great importance that a culture of integrity must be fostered. Fostering the culture of integrity dictates inculcating code of ethics that are in line with the goals and objectives as well as the values and the visions of the organizations that they serve. Examples of the ethical systems include Divine Command Theory, deontology, ethical relativism, virtue ethics, and utilitarianism (Carter, 2011, November).
The ethical relativism claims that there is no principle that has a universal validity. It implies that most of the moral principles depend on the cultural standards. This ethical system cannot be used to answer the ethical dilemma presented in the case of the Sterling’s shooting because police shooting is not a moral principle and is outlawed in all the societies. Deontology is one of the ethical systems that stresses on the role played by the moral rules as a means of achieving justice. It emphasizes on the morals and believes that humans deserve fair treatment. As a result, this ethical system can be used to solve the ethical dilemma regarding the shooting of the Sterling because Sterling deserved to live. There was no indication that he wanted to shoot the police officers, hence deserved to be treated fairly and with the utmost respect (Murphy, 1997, October).
The Divine Command Theory relates all the moral standards with God. This ethical system purports that all the acts that are in agreement with the divine rules are correct. Consequently, this ethical system can be used in the case of the ethical dilemma because killing does not conform to any of the divine laws. As a result, the police officers could have restrained from shooting Sterling. As for the virtue ethics system, it is all about the moral behavior as a means of achieving excellence. However, this system cannot be used to solve the ethical dilemma because morals alone could not have stopped the police officer from shooting Sterling especially when they were in potential danger. Utilitarianism is the system that claims that actions are determined by their consequences. This system targets fostering happiness and coexistence for everyone. As a result, it can be used to solve the ethical dilemma because they could have been reminded of the consequences of shooting Sterling (Murphy, 1997, October).
Conclusion
The shooting of the Sterling was unfortunate because it could have been avoided easily. From the footage and the witnesses, it was evident that Sterling never posted any meaningful threat to the officers that warranted his shooting. However, it can be unfair to put all the blame on the police officer because there could have been a chance that Sterling attempted to withdraw his gun that prompted the shooting. Besides, I strongly condemn the shooting of the suspected criminals because it is against the ethics that govern the operations of the police officers. As a future law enforcer, I believe that no one has the right of taking another human’s life. From this case, the relevancy of the ethical systems as a tool for analyzing and determining the ethical dilemmas is evident. Therefore, it can be argued that ethical system components are the solution to the ethical dilemma facing not only to the police officers but also to the criminal justice professionals in general.

References
Allen, K. (2013). What Is an Ethical Dilemma? Retrieved November 08, 2016, from
http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/ethics-articles/What_Is_an_Ethical_Dilemma%3F/Carter McNamara, C. (2011, November). Complete Guide to Ethics Management: An Ethics
Toolkit for Managers. Retrieved November 09, 2016, from http://managementhelp.org/businessethics/ethics-guide.htmKindy, K., Lowery, W., Rich, S., & Jenkins, J. (2016, July 07). Fatal shootings by police are up
in the first six months of 2016, Post analysis finds. Retrieved November 08, 2016, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/fatal-shootings-by-police-surpass-2015s- rate/2016/07/07/81b708f2-3d42-11e6-84e8-1580c7db5275_story.htmlMurphy, K. (1997, October). Resolving Ethical Dilemmas – National Association of Social
Workers. Retrieved November 09, 2016, from
http://www.naswma.org/?114
Yan, H., Berlinger, J., & Robinson, F. (2016, July 13). Baton Rouge officer: Alton Sterling
reached for a gun before he was shot. Retrieved November 08, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/12/us/police-shootings-investigations/index.html