Police leadership and ethics: training and policy recommendations

Past research indicates that the issue of police leadership and ethics may be informed by many approaches and theories which speak to areas such as individual moral development as well as organizational and situational factors. It is argued that leadership ability, like moral decision-making, is a function of both the individual and the situation. As such, in order to provide the most effective approach for training police leaders regarding ethics, individuat organizational and situational leadership factors are discussed.It is suggested that amore comprehensive understanding of these factors would increase the effectiveness of police leaders to encourage ethical behaviour within their services. Specific recommendations for designing and implementing ethics training for leaders of police services are outlined.