Drugs at a Friends at a Friend’s House
According to Lon Fuller, each person is answerable to his or her conscience, one will answer more responsibly if compelled to articulate principles on which he or she acts. When considering Fuller’s principle, it is vital to apply it to the real life situations that law enforcement officers face in their time of service. I have worked as drug law enforcement officer for approximately five years now.
Considering the negative effects caused by the use of drugs, I work diligently to ensure that our society is free from these harmful substances. Despite my diligence towards eliminating these illegal drugs, I have faced numerous challenges and moral dilemmas. I will discuss one scenario that I consider as a dilemma in my years of service.
Here is the Story…
It was on a Friday night, I was off duty. A close friend mine invited me to a party in his house. My wife and kids had gone to visit their parents and I had no plans for the night. I therefore decided to head to the party. Upon arrival, I noted that there was quite a gathering in the backyard. My friend welcomed me wholeheartedly and introduced me to the other invitees. I joined two of my old friends who were drinking beer in the annex of the house.
After drinking a couple of beers, I headed to the restroom only to find several people in the house around a table with cocaine lines. I had never seen these people before. My friend was backyard chatting with other people. I felt confused wondering what i should do. Should I stop the party and arrest these drug users? I stood at the entrance of the restroom, watching all the muscular men doing the cocaine.
I knew that ending the party and arresting the people taking the cocaine would consequently end the friendship. As a law enforcement drug crime officer, I felt that it my work to arrest these law breakers. I also felt that if I failed to arrest them, someone might find out, and that would cost me my job. The worst part is that I knew that I would not forgive myself no matter the choice I made.
After a careful consideration, I decided to call this in because I would be letting myself down by ignoring the situation. The Law was very clear on this matter. Because of the illegality of the narcotics, I had to do my job of upholding the law regardless of what my friend would think. Additionally, I believed that my friend would not have invited me or policed his guest himself by allowing this type of behavior in his house.
This is one dilemma that I faced during my time in service. My friend and other guests who were taking cocaine were arrested and charged. The good thing is that the charges of my friend were minimal because he was not doing the drug. He was held in custody for three years, and after, when he was back at home, he had moved to a new location. Despite the fact that I lost my friend, I strongly feel that I saved the rest of the society from these illegal substances.