ABSTRACT
Ethics can be presented in a way that alienates and offends police officers. The authors recommend that any ethics discussion begin with an underlying assumption. This assumption is that police officers are already ethical, and they are ethical in a sophisticated way. Ethics education, if not supplemented by examples of correct and moral behavior on the part of executives and training officers, is a waste of time. If managers are serious about changing the ethics of their line officers, they will have to take a long, hard look at their own behavior and assess what they are cueing to recruits. One of the central issues facing police departments is hiring individuals with cultural skills that are similar to the populations policed. Among the most important cultural skill is the capacity for language, or local linguistic skills spoken within a jurisdiction.
