Symposium on “The Ethics of Police Tactics”
The Jean Beer Blumenfeld Center for Ethics will hold a symposium on “The Ethics of Police Tactics” to be held on Monday, November 10, 1:30-2:45 in the Lanier Suite of the Student Center.
Panelists include Jennifer Baker, professor of philosophy, College of Charleston, and Georgia State University criminology professors Mary Finn and Josh Hinkle.
In light of recent clashes in Ferguson, MO, and elsewhere, the proper role of the police is of special importance and controversy. Our panelists will consider recent trends in policing and how reflecting on the tools and principles of ethics can help us to understand the proper role and limits of policing in a free society. Among the big themes will be the militarization of police and recent clashes with civilians.
The police force is one of the most important and visible parts of the state. We depend on it to maintain order and keep us safe. But we sometimes worry about how the police should interact with civilians and what tools should be at their disposal. The challenges they face are serious and deadly. Figuring out how to balance our concerns with safety, order, and justice is no easy matter. Having this discussion can help improve our understanding of these challenges and advance the conversation about what justifies and limits what the police may do.
To learn more, check out some of the following books available in the University Library:
- Alpert, Geoffrey P., and Roger G Dunham. Understanding Police Use of Force: Officers, Suspects, and Reciprocity. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
- Balko, Radley. Rise of the Warrior Cop: The Militarization of America’s Police Forces. New York: Public Affairs, 2013.
- Belur, Jyoti. Permission to Shoot?: Police Use of Deadly Force in Democracies. New York: Springer, 2010.
- Fisher, Jim. SWAT Madness and the Militarization of the American Police: A National Dilemma. Santa Barbara: Praeger, 2010.
- McElvain, James P. Police Shootings and Citizen Behavior. El Paso: LFB Scholarly Pub., 2009.
- Ruprecht, Louis A.. Policing the State: Democratic Reflections On Police Power Gone Awry, in Memory of Katheryn Johnston (1914-2006). Eugene: Cascade Books, 2013.
- Wadman, Robert C., and William Thomas Allison. To Protect and Serve: A History of Police in America. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2004.
- Walker, Samuel, and Carol Archbold. The New World of Police Accountability. Los Angeles: Sage, 2014.
- Weitzer, Ronald John, and Steven A. Tuch. Race and Policing in America: Conflict and Reform. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006.
- Wood, Lesley J. Crisis and Control: The Militarization of Protest Policing. London: Pluto Press, 2014.