Police Ethics: A Matter of Character (Paperback)

~ Douglas W. Perez (Author), J. Alan Moore (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Police officers make thousands of important, life-changing decisions everyday. In order to promote and ensure justice, these decisions must be fair and even-handed. Police officers cannot think or act as if they are free to define what is legal and what is illegal or to decide who is inherently good and who is inherently bad. They must act in an ethical manner. Yet, police officers are given a limited amount of training in police ethics. Often times, it consists solely of a list of do's and don'ts. This book was written to emphasize the importance of police ethics. The authors seek to treat police officers as the intelligent and knowledgeable people that they are, instead of discussing what to do and what not to do. This book discusses various schools of ethical thought in a way that works from the ground up, moving from a general understanding toward practical applications. Readers will gain a workable understanding of ethics that can be applied to the entire gamut of situations they encounter on the street every day.

About the Author

Doug Perez obtained his B.A. ('70) and Ph.D. ('78) at U.C. Berkeley and his M.A. ('74) at U.C. Davis. He is a former police officer and correctional guard, who has done consulting for numerous police departments and for the federal government. His publications include Common Sense About Police Review (1994) and Police Ethics: A Matter of Character (with J. Alan Moore, 2002). Dr. Perez teaches courses in the criminal justice field and also has significant experience in the sociological theory area. His classroom foci include the study of the police, law and society, the drug war, and introductory level courses. After serving as a police officer and correctional officer, he began a career in education and has taught at the community college, state college, private college, and university levels on a dozen campuses around the nation.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 1 edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1928916228
• ISBN-13: 978-1928916222
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #767,384 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Yet another book that is written by people who haven't been there!, March 3, 2009

By	C. Gilbert "Artillerist" (Arlington, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I had to read this book for a promotional test and found it to be full of platitudes which have no real effect on the business of policing. That being said it is not without some merit and does have some good ideas that could work. Mostly it really depends on the individual officer as to whether he/she decides to be correct when no one else is looking. If you have to read this book, just slog through it and get what you can out of it.