A unique approach to the study of police ethics that aims squarely at noble-cause corruption-corruption that is committed in the name of good ends. Police Ethics: The Corruption of Noble Cause provides an examination of noble cause, how it emerges as a fundamental principle of police ethics, and how it can provide the basis for corruption. The noble cause-a commitment to "doing something about bad people" - is a central "ends-based" police ethic that is corrupted when officers violate the law on behalf of personally held moral values. This book is about the power that police use to do their work and how it can corrupt at the individual and organizational levels. The material provides students of policing with a realistic understanding of the kinds of problems they will confront in the practice of police work. Provides students with a realistic understanding of problems that arise in police work. Explains how corruption often results from an officer's desire to do good, shattering the myth that corruption is the result of a few "bad apples." Key terms supplement each chapter.

Book jacket.