University of Akron offers new certificate in Law Enforcement Ethics designed to enhance decision-making skills

Every day, law enforcement officers respond to urgent situations where they are called upon to help individuals experiencing drug addiction, homelessness, mental illness and a host of other issues. Officers are required to handle complex situations, such as abusive behavior or sexual assault, without having received extensive training on how to manage such situations.

To help provide law enforcement officers with the critical thinking skills to make quick, moral decisions during complicated situations, The University of Akron’s (UA) Department of Philosophy has created a Law Enforcement Ethics Certificate. This certificate gives law enforcement professionals and those wishing to pursue a career in law enforcement the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the ethics of policing.

Capt. Jim Gilbride

“Police work is very intricate, and officers experience a variety of complex situations during their daily work,” said UA Police Capt. Jim Gilbride, J.D. “As first responders, we are often required to act as if we are social workers, drug addiction counselors or mental health professionals. Since we don’t have comprehensive training in those areas, we resort to using ethics to guide our quick decision making.”

“We all have moral beliefs, but the study of ethics forces us to critically think about them,” said Dr. Dimitria Gatzia, professor of philosophy. “The courses offered in the certificate will give those working in law enforcement the requisite critical thinking tools to continue to uphold the police department’s values of honesty, integrity, fairness, competence, trust and respect for the communities they serve.”

Certificate available this fall

The certificate requires 12 credit hours and curriculum includes philosophy courses such as Social and Political Philosophy, Philosophy of Law and Police Ethics, as well as courses in two critical areas of debate around the ethics of policing: “Philosophy of Feminism” and “Philosophy of Race.”

“Given that law enforcement officers often respond to situations involving racial groups and sexual assaults, thinking critically about race and feminism will enhance their performance,” said Gatzia. “These courses are tailored toward law enforcement and provide much-needed tools to handle difficult situations in which members of a community can be harmed.”

Dr. Dimitria Gatzia

Individuals can begin the coursework for the certificate this fall semester by enrolling in Law and Morality, one of the elective courses. The course will examine critical issues at the intersection of law and morality, including the morally appropriate way for a legal system to respond to acts of civil disobedience and how the legal system responds to cases involving allegations of racial inequality.

In addition to the courses offered as part of the certificate, Gatzia and Gilbride are organizing a law enforcement ethics seminar for members of the University’s police department as part of its ongoing skills enhancement training.

“This seminar will complement procedural justice and police legitimacy training that members of the UAPD have been going through for the last few years,” said Gilbride. “My hope is that the seminar will provide our officers with another tool to help solve the very complex issues that they face on a regular basis. This will help the department make sure our officers are serving constituents in the best way possible.”

For more information about how to enroll in the program, contact Gatzia at (330) 972-5242 or degatzia@uakron.edu.

Media contact: Alex Knisely, 330-972-6477 or aknisely@uakron.edu.