The Ethics of Policing

Rarely has a profession as powerful as the police seen widespread calls for its complete abolition. Community frustrations run high, accusations of racial bias abound, and yet most people recognize a legitimate and constructive role for police. The Ethics of Policing brings together a diverse and distinguished set of authors from several academic disciplines to pose pertinent ethical questions and offer possible answers to our current crisis in policing. Authors address such questions as when is the use of force ethically justified, when can that force legitimately be deadly, what professional norms need to change to achieve better outcomes, how can policing better relate to politics and racial biases, how to reform an institution that has its very roots in slave patrols, and how seriously to take calls for police 'abolition.' The result is a book that will have a wide audience and that deserves a serious read. ~Frank R. Baumgartner, co-author of Suspect Citizens: What 20 Million Traffic Stops Tell Us About Policing and Race

Black Lives Matter has forcefully pointed out the systemic and widespread nature of racist police violence. Contributing to this struggle for structural reform, this volume consults philosophical, sociological, anthropological, historical, and legal perspectives to inquire about the specifically ethical implications of policing in liberal societies. Why do police officers act the way they do? How do norms and values structure police action on an everyday basis? And what can be done to change them? An indispensable tool for all engaging in the societal debate about the role and future of the police. ~Daniel Loick, co-author of A Critique of Sovereignty

Jones and Mendieta bring together an interdisciplinary group of scholars to reevaluate the role of the police and the ethical principles that guide their work in light of the increasing focus on police misconduct in the United States. Topics include the use of aggressive tactics and deadly force, police abolitionism, and the use of new technologies like drones, body cameras, and predictive analytics, providing different perspectives on the past, present, and future of policing, with particular attention to discriminatory practices that have historically targeted Black and Brown communities. ~Law and Social Inquiry