Customer Reviews

Characters and Cops

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In this fifth edition of his acclaimed text on law enforcement ethics, Edwin Delattre takes on some of the toughest moral problems facing police officers these days. And he does so with a great amount of clarity and tact.

Although some chapters probably do go on a bit longer than they should, this can be forgiven due to the amount of interesting content contained therein. Delattre has been teaching police ethics courses and working with law enforcement officers for over twenty years, so he definitely knows what he's talking about. He addresses difficult moral and ethical questions in a very succinct manner, without leaving the reader feel as if they are "left hanging," so to speak. His arguments are clear and highly readable, and above all else, they make sense!

I'd have to say that my favorite chapters are Chapter 9: Illegal Narcotics--Moral Issues and Public Policy (in which the author examines both sides of the dead horse drug legalization argument and reaches a very sensible conclusion), Chapter 15: Fatalism, Microcosms, and Therapeutic Reductions, and Chapter 17: Police, The O.J. Simpson Trial, and Race (which examines the Simpson trial in considerable detail, as well as the implications of the verdict). That said, every chapter in the book offers some wonderful insights.

This is highly recommended reading for anyone even remotely interested in law enforcement and, in particular, for those who have taken an interest in how some tough ethical issues that face police officers can be resolved.

I stuided under the author of Character and Cops while in graduate school and now work as a police clinician. It is an excellent and timeless text which provides law enforcement and related professionals with a philosophical underpining of their work. This is not an easy read and not for someone looking for a "quick and dirty" overview of ethics in policework. It is however for someone looking for an intelectual jaunt into this very critical subject.

Best price around, shipping was pretty fast too. Book is for my employment so I guess the content is what it's supposed to be. I usually find a good price here at amazon, but if you just want to rent(like for an employer's exam/school) [...]