Hard Decisions 

 

We are exposed every moment in our lives to the process of making decisions, some very important, some not. These decisions, especially the important ones, affect our futures in ways that will attach our whole beings to the results of the choices that we make. That is why we should try to decide fairly as much as we can.

The movie THE GLASS SHIELD showed us an environment of corrupted police. Many decisions taken by the officers either were based on following superior orders from their command or were personal but very influenced. In some situations that happened in the precinct, police officers also followed the pattern known in police circles as the “wall of silence”. This pattern mainly protects and covers police officers by other police officers in situations that could be harmful. Here, officers are very loyal to each other. Nevertheless these strong relationships between officers sometimes can be dangerous. Some unprofessional police officers could use these ties in situations such as the risk of losing some cases or for personal purposes.

But what is loyalty? How can loyalty affect our decisions? Loyalty is a characteristic in human beings. We usually prefer to choose, trust, or select our peers, family members, or co-workers instead of others whom we do not know well. However, in this process, sometimes, we are not taking the best decisions. If we would delve into the backgrounds of people whom we do not know, having a real sense of what they are, or if we would avoid the pressures from our environments, such as families or jobs, we would achieve more objective results when making decisions.

In the movie THE GLASS SHIELD, the pressure coming from loyalty was unavoidable. Some officers were highly tied by their organization called “the rough riders.” However, loyalty is neither good nor bad. In this specific case, police loyalty followed a wrong pattern. Officers hid information, covering friendly police suspects from crime. They blocked important information from other officers who did not belong to the police’s secret organization, and police even lied under oath when they had to support either their own or co-officers’ statements against suspects. So, having this mistaken background, it was complicated for the protagonists to make accurate decisions.

The central characters, JJ and his partner, were rookies that not only had no experience, but they also had to deal with a non-friendly police environment. As new police officers, in the beginning the leading roles were learning the police procedures. However, as they became familiarized with their jobs, the protagonists had to face more and more a hostile atmosphere. So, this job situation pushed the protagonists to find what was going on in the precinct.

JJ and his partner were loyal too. Even though he did not like some police procedures such as an arrest that was made with a dog where police showed some brutality. JJ, in this case, chose to support his co-workers. JJ’s partner also showed a kind of loyalty when she went to the scene of a crime. In this case, she found some clues about a homicide. However, she gave up pursuing the cause under the pressure from her boss.

So, these two new police officers were in a complex situation. On one hand, they had a sensible approach to the events that happened in their jobs and a sense of morality. On the other hand, they had to observe some tough procedures and the lack of morality coming from their peers. From this point on, the protagonists had to make hard decisions.

The first hard decision that police officer JJ took was to support his partner, another male police officer, when they unlawfully searched one suspect. The suspect had not committed a crime, even though, after the search, JJ and his partner found enough evidence to accuse the suspect. JJ had to face a big challenge. On one hand, he probably did not agree with the search; however, on the other hand, without his partner’s experience, he would not have learned and fit into his new job. It is very important to remember that he was being ostracized by his colleagues at this time. So, he had to perform his duties in a way that he could show some loyalty. He thought so.

But what would have happened if JJ would have handled this case in a different way since the beginning? This was another choice for him too. He could have rejected to cooperate with his partner and made the arrest a failure, and he would have been able to avoid the many implications against himself that this case brought later. But with this attitude, he would have been seen by the whole department as an uncooperative officer. So, JJ position was very difficult. He was in between two options that for him were thorny. At this time, as a police officer, JJ had to take a decision. The benefit of the doubt was not on his side. He chose what he thought was the best way to eliminate his dilemma, and it was to be loyal.

From an ethical point of view, was JJ correct in his procedures? Even though the answer was no, JJ had a lot of statements to make on his behalf. This was a situation that for a common citizen, seemed easy to solve. However, JJ struggled with this situation a lot. He could not decide between his personal problems or enforcing the law. As a police officer, he had to think quickly, having no time to properly analyze the problem. And he chose the solution that it would make him learn that he was wrong.

JJ’s female partner also made some important decisions throughout her experience as a police officer. When she came to the scene of a murder case, after observing the details of the crime, she promptly made some statements about it. As all police officers, she had some experience with crimes before she began to work in this job. But this was not enough for her boss, who thought that she was just inexperienced. She argued with her boss because the preliminary investigations by the federal officers did not convince her. But her opinion was not considered at all and she was disappointed.

Despite the obstacles, the rookie female protagonist was courageous. Even though experts gave their opinions of how the crime was committed, the protagonist kept her position. She made a hard decision; however, everybody in the police department was against her. She knew that with this judgment she was also going to confront a lot of trouble in the department. However, she did not give up, and she kept her thoughts to herself during the whole investigation.

But what would have happened if she would have decided to be loyal with her co-workers. She would have kept silent about her findings and she probably would have had a better job environment. But she did not choose the last choice. So, did she make an ethical decision? She did so. The rookie officer thought that her decision was the best for her and the community which she was supposed to serve. However it was not fully accomplished. She could have gone further in her conclusions asking for help. But we know that this requirement would not work in this department. This case was different from JJ’s case, even though there were many similarities. Rather than supporting her partners and being loyal, she chose her way, which was to be impartial.

One more hard decision in the movie THE GLASS SHIELD was one that JJ and his partner took together. They were aware that something was wrong with the behaviors of some police officers in the department. There were many incidents against the protagonists at the time that they were working as police officers. So, they began to investigate what was going on by their own means. The hostility inside the precinct was inevitable. They knew that if they would ask for help, it would not have made sense. JJ and his partner learned that the command in the precinct was covering some important information on behalf of criminals. So, the leading roles started to track police records, hidden at night in the precinct from other officers. Finally, they found what they were suspicious of. It was enough evidence that would implicate the command.

But what about if the protagonists would have chosen to work as a team with the whole department. Would they have been successful in their inquiries? Would the department have helped in the investigation, knowing that it was hiding

information? The answer seems to be that they would not. And from an ethical point of view, were JJ and his partner correct to do what they did? Acting as criminals did not justify JJ and company in their activities. But what could they do when the high command was involved in the case, and when some bad chiefs would move influences against the protagonists. So, JJ and his friend made a hard decision. They had to act very fast because the precinct was a vicious atmosphere. As police officers, they wanted to bring justice, even though a lot of officers would be involved in the case. They knew that asking for help from higher commands would take a long time. Also, they did not have too much time to lose because things were more and more complicated every time. So, they decided to do what they considered was the best thing to do, and this was to act by themselves.

The movie THE GLASS SHIELD was filled up with many difficult situations to deal with. Here, the protagonists did not find an easy approach to the situations. However, they took quick determinations. In addition, the conditions at their jobs did not help them at all. The aggression from police colleagues against the protagonists was unfair. The protagonists, in some cases, were pushed to respond very quickly without knowing the consequences.

As every police officer, JJ and his partner made some hard decisions in the process of assimilation into their new position in the police department. Every one of us can make decisions every day, but the decisions that the police make usually are very important not only for them but for third persons too. Because officers observe the law, their decisions are usually related to bringing possible suspects to justice, and these decisions are sometimes very hard to accomplish.