From dark streets and hallways where criminals prey on their victims to the corridors of power where political agendas set policy, law enforcement officers face unrelenting demands on their courage and morality. In a dangerous world, are "Dirty Harry" tactics or "noble cause corruption" ever justified? What does it take to enforce the law and keep the peace honorably?

In the expanded edition of Character and Cops, Edwin J. Delattre has added material on the Rodney King beating, gang-based violence, and the tragedy at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. He also includes an appendix, with a guide for designing academy courses and programs in ethics and for using the book as an instructional tool.

Character and Cops explores the ethical standards that govern police commands and individual officers in pursuit of their duties. More broadly, though, the book addresses questions of individual character, public trust, corruption, moral training, and ethics education as they apply to society at large.