LAW 6433

Ethics in Policing

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2025-2026 Catalog.

This course will take an in-depth look into police practices and police officer misconduct; both on and off-duty. Topics will include alcohol and substance abuse, sexual and other misconduct, uses of force, race relations, hate crimes, and use of evolving technology. We will explore solutions and debate remedies in criminal law, civil law, and administrative disciplinary proceedings. Our goal is to structure and implement honorable and effective policing. Later in the semester we will devote a significant portion of class time analyzing the racial tensions inherent in the New York City Police Department's stop and frisk policy, the broken windows policing strategy, the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson Missouri, and the choke hold death of Eric Garner on Staten Island.

Last 4 terms offered (None)

Outcomes REF-FA25

• Analyze and debate the history, law, and public policy surrounding ethical and effective policing.
• Gain a better understanding how on and off-duty behavior, evolving technologies, uses of force, and race relations affect police legitimacy.
• Assess how municipalities, states, the federal government, courts, the public and other key interest groups examine police conduct in the context of crime reduction, technology, race relations, and other demographics.
• Formulate responses by courts, grand juries, and the federal Department of Justice to a variety of police conduct, policies, and tactics.

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