오늘날 우리사회는 극심한 가치혼란 및 황금만능주의의 만연으로 공ㆍ사 부문을 막론하고 윤리행정이 그 어느 때보다 절실히 요청되고 있다. 경찰공무원은 사적부문과는 다른 직업윤리가 요구되고 있으며, 특히 경찰은 그 업무의 특수성으로 물리력의 사용, 비정상적인 상황 그리고 많은 유혹 등과 관련되므로 일반 공직자보다는 더 높은 공직윤리 수준이 요청되고 있다. 그러나 현실을 보면 경찰공무원의 부패는 전체 공직자 중에서 상위를 기록하고 있는 실정이다. 바람직한 경찰윤리의 확립을 위해서는 사회윤리를 통한 통제 메커니즘도 필요하지만 무엇보다도 좋은 경찰관의 채용과 훈련을 통한 개인윤리의 고양과 책임성이 더욱 중요하게 된다.
경찰윤리는 경찰조직과 경찰관이 준수해야 할 가치 지향적 행위규범으로 윤리학적으로 고찰해보면 크게는 목적론과 의무론으로 대별된다. 목적론은 최선의 결과를 가져오는 행위는 옳다는 주장을 폄으로서 인간은 쾌락을 극대화하고, 고통을 최소화하려는 욕구에 따라 행동한다는 공리의 원리를 탄생시킴으로서 결과주의라고도 한다. 이에 반해 의무론은 보편적인 도덕원리가 존재한다고 판단함으로 동기주의 또는 법칙주의라고 한다.
본 연구는 경찰행정에서 목적론과 의무론이 어떻게 구성되어 있는가를 파악해봄으로서 바람직한 경찰윤리의 방안을 모색해 보고자 한다. 목적론은 공리주의 사상을 태동시킴으로서 경찰행정에서 생산성, 효율성을 제일의 목표로 추구하게 되었을 뿐만 아니라 바람직한 결과주의를 지향한다는 점에서 좋은 경찰관의 채용과 지역사회 경찰활동의 이론적 배경이 된다. 좋은 경찰관으로는 능력뿐 아니라 인성과 자질이 중요한 요소가 되며 시민에 대한 민감성과 반응성 그리고 문제해결자의 역할이 요구된다. 지역사회 경찰활동은 경찰공무원에게 더 많은 재량권이 주어진다는 측면에서 경찰공무원의 의사결정 과정에서 가치관이 더욱 중요하게 부각되고 있다. 또한 경찰공무원은 경찰업무를 수행하면서 좋은 결과, 즉 ‘고결한 명분’을 추구하는 경우 법을 위반하거나 왜곡하기 때문에 경찰공무원의 합리적 가치판단이 요청된다.
의무론은 롤스(J. Rawls)의 정의론의 사상적 배경이 되고, 이를 경찰행정에 원용해 보면 경찰서비스의 공정한 분배와 최소 수혜자에 대한 배려가 중요함을 알 수 있다. 법칙주의를 지향하는 의무론과 관련하여 경찰행정에서의 내용을 분석해 보면 경찰헌장, 경찰책임, 경찰부패 그리고 경찰공무원의 사생활 분야로 구성되고 있다. 경찰헌장은 경찰비전의 대ㆍ내외적 천명이며 경찰공무원의 윤리적 표준이 된다. 경찰책임, 경찰부패 그리고 경찰공무원의 사생활 분야는 경찰공무원의 강한 도덕적 의무와 책임감이 동시에 요구되므로 바르게 행동하기를 원하는 경찰공무원과 바른 선택의 방법을 아는 경찰공무원을 육성하는 것이 중요한 과제가 되고 있다.
경찰윤리에서 목적론이 추구하는 ‘좋은 것’과 의무론이 추구하는 ‘옳은 것’은 어느 한 쪽을 찬성하거나 부정해야 하는 것은 아니며, 양자가 상호 보완됨으로 경찰윤리가 추구하는 진정한 목표를 달성할 수 있을 것이다. 다만, 경찰관의 행동원칙으로는 목적론보다는 의무론에 따를 때 더욱 옳은 결과가 예상된다고 볼 수 있을 것이다.
Recently we are increasingly concerned with the issue of ethics not only in the public sector but also in the private area. Terminologies such as management ethics and public administration ethics are now being used more popular. Such a trend reflects that we are living in a more complex society and a strong need to solve conflicts in a way that can fulfill the stakeholders' interests as much as possible.
The police ethics is a value-oriented norm for the police organization as well as the policemen and it can be classified into the two approaches. Firstly, teleology which emphasizes that good would be determined by what produces the greatest good for the greatest number and if it results in good consequences, then it can be defined as good. The teleological approach is based on ends-oriented and originally intends to control crime. Secondly, deontology which is defined as there would be a definite rule for morality, which is born rather than given thus providing a basis for behaviors regardless of consequences. That is an act can still be good, even though the results may not be as good as what it was intended to be. The deontology is based on means-oriented and intend to establish due process. Moreover, the police ethics is closely related with ideologies of police administration such as lawfulness, democracy, efficiency, effectiveness, neutrality and social equality in a point that the both deal with the value system. The main purpose of the study is to find out how they-teleology and deontology-are reflected in police ethics, what they are and what they ought to be for proper and desirable policemen.
The teleological approach in the police ethics brought a rule of efficiency which is based on the principle of utility and as a result the police set targets for productivity and efficiency as a best performance of its work. In order to achieve the targeted goal, the police need good policemen who have a sense of morality. Recently the so-called community policing is introduced to fulfill its goal successfully of which idea based on democracy and efficiency. However, the community policing empowers the policemen and allows for them to have wide discretionary decisions in their daily activities and to intervene in the lives of citizens. In accordance with the said situations, the policemen are strongly requested to have senses of morality in the decision-making of policing. Even though the policemen are trying to do their best to get good results, they sometimes outlaw and bend the law in their activities in the name of good cause, which is originated in the result-oriented conviction. In consequence, the good policemen are needed and they are defined they exercise their power properly, respond to people with responsibility and become sensitive to requests of the people. And they are called professionals and problem-solvers.
On the other hand, the deontological approach in the police ethics is that senses of morality are given to human beings, not based on the judgement of the results. J. Rawls adopted this approach and made the principle of the equal liberty and the principle of the inequality. He gives the first priority to the principle of the equal liberty and the principle of the inequality can be recognized on condition that all the jobs and positions should be opened to the weakest people since they become sources of inequality. And the inequality should be maximized to meet the needs of the weakest people. Rawls' principle imply that the police should respect the citizens, make fairness in their activities and the procedural justice should be introduced in advance for execution of it and the police service should bestow on equal basis, bearing in mind for care of the poorest and the weakest people. One of the representative, deontological approaches in police work is the charter of police that governs the organization as well as the policemen in and out of the society and proclaims job of police look like professional. In particular, duties in the police ethics are strongly requested in the fields of police responsibility, police corruption and policemen's private lives. In order to secure the police responsibility, not only the official, institutional and mechanical controls are necessary but also the inner control from the policemen are urgent. The police corruption is one of the core issues in the police ethics and the traditional control such as the slippery slope model of economic corruption is the first illegal acts committed by the police officers but for the police reform the corruption of noble causes should be given keen attention. The policemen's rights for private lives are protected on the constitutional law and the law concerned but the areas of the private lives are closely related to privacy and freedom of the policemen and in the coming days those issues seem to be conflicted because they demand them more than ever. But the areas of privacy is closely related to trust of people, so the policemen should maintain sense of morality in their private lives.
In the end, teleology and deontology of the police ethics can be compromised to bring about the best performance of police activities. The police ethics are so important for reinforcement of moral resolve, moral sensitization, and moral expertise for policemen.