Ethical Considerations in Community Policing and Problem Solving

Abstract

Although the literature concerning community-oriented policing and prob lem solving (COPPS) is rapidly growing, very little has been written con cerning its relationship with ethics—a relationship that is critical to the success of COPPS. Many academics and practitioners are concerned that the potential for ethical dilemmas is increased with the shift to COPPS, given the nature of ethics training, decentralization, expanded discretion ary authority and officers' greater proximity to citizens. This article dis cusses ethics in general as well as police ethics and ethical considerations under COPPS. In addition to academics and police practitioners, this in formation should also be useful to citizens, who demand and expect ethi cal behavior from their police. Included are four case studies of situations that are likely to occur within a COPPS framework; each scenano is ac companied by an ethical analysis of the situation.

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