ABSTRACT
Police misconduct generally refers to procedural violations of departmental rules and regulations, violations of state and federal law, and constitutional civil rights violations. As the Cato Institute's National Police Misconduct Reporting Project makes clear, police misconduct is complex in nature, scope, and consequence. Police agencies should have strong hiring standards and be diligent in their screening and selection processes. To ensure retention of qualified officers, police agencies should be as competitive as possible with respect to salary, fringe benefits, educational incentives, and training opportunities to promote career growth. Police agencies must also address the development of informal policies and procedures, which are cultural by-products of ongoing interpretations and practice and have significant impacts on police officer behaviour. Entry-level training is primarily task-oriented, with officers receiving training in policies and procedures on patrol operations, criminal investigations, the use of firearms, and the use of force.
