NCJ Number
171891
Date Published
1997
Length
224 pages
Annotation
This volume examines ethical theory and the specifics of ethics in the context of police work and provides police officers with practical guidance for dealing with a moral or ethical dilemma in their work, particularly in police work in Great Britain.
Abstract
The discussion is also directed to police in any country. In addition, the text is intended for use by magistrates, social workers, military personnel, private security personnel, and all those who work with police officers. The text uses detailed case studies, activities, and exercises to give police officers the opportunity, wither individually or in groups, to test their responses to such dilemmas. Individual sections explain the pressures of police work, factors for and against ethical behavior, and the basic nature of ethics. Further sections focus on the moral pressures involved in the investigation of crime, including issues related to informants, undercover operations, and interrogation. Additional sections present a history of police ethics in Great Britain, the establishment and use of a code of ethics, police discretion, the limitations of an ethical code, common logical errors and fallacies, practical methods for exploring moral dilemmas, the policing of protest and dissent, issues relating to ethics and religion, and organizational reforms that would assist individual police officers in addressing ethical issues. Case examples, exercises, index, and list of 45 recommended readings