Police Ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement.

Ethical problems are encountered in every profession, including law enforcement. The behavior of all law enforcement officers must conform to recognized ethical standards. By providing law enforcement officers and supervisors with an understanding of ethical behavior, Police Ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement serves as a training manual for new officers and as a refresher for experienced officers.

In the preface, the author states that his objective is to provide law enforcement with an understanding of ethical behavior as it relates to the police occupation. The author succeeds in providing a concise overview of basic ethical issues facing the modern police agency.

The author begins by asking the perennial question of whether the work of law enforcement constitutes a profession. In finding that law enforcement has not reached certain standards required of a profession, the author argues that the true issue to be addressed is whether law enforcement officers can behave professionally. This is where ethics becomes essential.

The next four chapters dissect the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics. While discussing the weaknesses of some provisions of the code, the author advises that it provides an overall model for professional conduct by police officers. In analyzing the sections of the code that address the private lives of law enforcement officials, the author states that the status of being a law enforcement officer makes such provisions necessary in a code of ethics. The book addresses more universally acknowledged off-duty misconduct such as drag and alcohol abuse, instead of discussing how issues such as homosexuality and cohabitation are viewed in light of the code's requirement that law enforcement officers "...keep [their] private life unsullied." We live in times where behavior seen by some individuals as acceptable or unsullied may be seen by others as misconduct for a law enforcement officer. The author chose to make the accepted point that even off-duty misconduct warrants punishment, as opposed to addressing the ethical question of what constitutes unsullied behavior. The remainder of the book discusses forms of misconduct and corruption and ways to control them. These chapters offer practical examples with which most officers can identify.

The author writes in an easily understood style and avoids the heavy-handed academic prose found in other texts addressing these areas. He offers a practical, well-rounded proposal for the police administrator to use in developing a program to both prevent misconduct and to deal with it if it occurs. Of particular interest is the author's discussion of the need to inform the general public of what the department expects of its police officers and what role the public needs to play to ensure the success of these expectations. Corruption and misconduct too often appear as internal police problems, not matters of public responsibility.

This timely work offers many examples and a few ideas for the police administrator to consider in the area of law enforcement ethics. It is not, and does not attempt to be, an academic dissertation on the subject. For the police administrator looking for an overview of law enforcement ethics, and for the new police officer interested in guidelines and warning signs, Police Ethics: Crisis in Law Enforcement is ideal.

Reviewed by SSA Michael E. Brooks Office of Law Enforcement Ethics FBI Academy Quantico, Virginia