Despite the media controversies surrounding high-profile cases of undercover policing, it is not always clear what ethical issues are at stake. Can undercover policing be justified? What are the ethical issues surrounding concealment and infiltration? What larger questions does undercover policing raise about the nature of policing and the legitimacy of coercive state action? In this timely and clear account, Christopher Nathan explores these questions and more. He rejects the view that the consequences of undercover policing always justify the means, instead advancing an argument that through their actions people can make themselves morally liable to some forms of undercover policing. Drawing on several recent, high-profile case studies, Christopher Nathan argues for a new understanding of proportionality in undercover policing that takes account of innocent parties, vulnerable targets, and manipulation into wrongful action. He also defends a central role for the judiciary in the oversight of undercover policing.

The United States and Europe have recently experienced a significant expansion in the use of undercover police tactics and technological means of surveillance. In a democratic society, such tactics raise significant questions for public policy and social research. New and sophisticated forms of crime and social control (and their internationalization) represent an important and neglected topic. Realizing this, the leading scholars in this field created a European and American working group for the comparative study of police surveillance. This collaborative, landmark volume reports the results of their work. It is the first book ever devoted to the comparative study of the topic and includes articles on the historical development of covert policing in Europe and its spread to the United States (where it was extended and recently exported back to Europe), plus detailed accounts of the use of covert tactics in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Sweden, Canada and the United States. Audience: Social scientists, historians, policy makers, lawyers, and criminal justice practitioners

This book offers the fullest, most rigorous and up-to-date treatment of police ethics currently available.

Investigative Ethics: Ethics for Police Detectives and Criminal Investigators presents applied philosophical analyses of the ethical issues that arise for police detectives and other investigators in contemporary society. Explores ethical issues relating to investigative independence, rights of victims and suspects, use of informants, entrapment, privacy and surveillance, undercover operations, deception, and suspect interviewing Represents the first monograph providing a detailed consideration of ethical issues in police investigations Features authorship by an applied philosopher specializing in police ethics, and a former UK senior police officer Combined authorship ensures the text is anchored in actual police practice as well as providing high quality ethical analysis

The leading practical guide for anyone working in covert investigation. Containing new case law and updates to all the relevant legislation and codes of practice, the book is designed to help officers improve the quality of RIPA applications and ensure they are made in appropriate circumstances.

Since the first edition was published in 1989, Character and Cops has been considered the bible of police ethics training. The book is a comprehensive guide to the ethical challenges faced daily by police officers, especially in times of heightened security. The updated sixth edition features a new foreword by David Bores, a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States military police, and a new chapter titled 'From War Veterans to Peace Officers,' which explores policies for incorporating soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan into the domestic police force.

"This third edition has been comprehensively revised, expanding the information in the previous edition on the long-standing challenge of implementing effective, responsible, and acceptable practices in ethical police work. The author's unique perspective provides insights not found elsewhere and presents them in an informative, fact-filled, and encouraging way. The text is based on the premise that ethical crisis has always existed in law enforcement and stresses that policing is and always has been a 'morally dangerous occupation.' The moral dangers of policing are discussed in detail and emphasize how crucial ethical standards are for police officers. Four critical and primary questions addressed in the text are: Is law enforcement a profession? Can law enforcement officers be professional? What forms of behavior are the major law enforcement ethical violations? Can police ethical violations be controlled? Several chapters also thoroughly review the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics and include very up-to-date examples of notable violations by individual officers and police departments. Additional topics include major police corruption issues, including corrupt practices and corruption control; abuse of authority; and getting effective control of unethical behavior. The goal of this timely new edition is to provide officers, law enforcement managers, and city administrators with only the most current information, tools, and skills in identifying and dealing with unethical police behavior. It is valuable to both new and seasoned officers in a significant effort to make policing a true profession that is real and not rhetoric"--Provided by publisher.