Moral Issues in Police Work

The police are among the most powerful agents of the state. They can disrupt the daily routines of citizens more than any other public official by deciding who shall be stopped, who shall be detained, who shall be arrested, and who shall go free. This book is intended to document, aid and abet the work of analysis now well underway and to enhance the discussions that have begun.

In this collection of essays, philosophers and criminologists discuss a number of ethical issues in policing: the nature and scope of police authority, the role of discretion, police corruption, community relations, and the use of deadly force. Addressed to police officers and police academy instructors as well as to students of ethics, criminology, and policy behavior, this volume extracts the moral and ethical conflicts presented by everyday police activity and makes explicit the assumptions that shape the police response. (American Bar Foundation Research Journal)