NCJ Number
99027
Editor(s)
F A Elliston,
M Feldberg
Date Published
1985
Length
304 pages
Annotation
Fifteen essays on ethical issues in police work address authority, discretion, and the police function; deception in investigative techniques; the use of force; and police corruption.
Abstract
Four essays on police authority, discretion, and the police function examine (1) the ethical rationale for using police force in a society dedicated to peace, (2) the rationale for police authority and discretion in performing social services, (3) the need for discretion posited in individual officers, and (4) the ethical aspects of seeking justice by unconstitutional means. Six essays address the moral and legal appropriateness of the police use of deceptive tactics to solve or prevent crimes, with attention to undercover work, entrapment issues, and privacy issues. Three essays analyze and prescribe the proper sphere and application of the police use of force and deadly force. The legitimate use of police force is distinguished from its abusive use, and a review of empirical studies of killings by police is the basis for proposing departmental procedures for the use of deadly force. The classical theory of the social contract is used in one essay to develop an ethical criterion for when police should use deadly force. The final three essays, dealing with police corruption, examine its nature, causes, how it can be morally evaluated, and how it can be prevented or reduced. Chapter notes, a 72-item bibliography, and a subject index are provided. For individual essays, see NCJ 99028-42.