ABSTRACT
The book so far has emphasized the need to “get tough” on police misconduct, in part through a discipline system that is seen to thoroughly investigate complaints and apply firm punishments where misconduct is identified. Punishment should serve as a deterrent but also as an expression of society’s disapproval of misconduct. At the same time, punishment is generally considered most appropriate in cases of more serious or repeat breaches of standards, and as a type of “last resort” option. A variety of other responses have been alluded to that may be more appropriate-that is, fair or productivein differing circumstances. One of these options is the removal of unsuitable officers from police work, as the behavior of serving officers, rather than retribution, should be the focus of any complaints and discipline system. Another appropriate response might be some form of remediation-through retraining, for example (see Chapter 8)—also oriented to improving behavior. Informal resolution and complaints mediation are other options that can serve a variety of productive purposes (including remediation).
