Police Deception and Dishonesty: The Logic of Lying

In Police Deception and Dishonesty, Luke William Hunt--a philosophy professor and former FBI Special Agent--argues that many of our assumptions about policing and security are unjustified. Through a rich discussion of literature and case studies, he shows that there are compelling reasons to think that the police's widespread use of proactive deception and dishonesty is inconsistent with fundamental norms of political morality--especially norms regarding fraud and the rule of law. Although there are times and places for dishonesty and deception in policing, Hunt evocatively illustrates why those times and places should be much more limited than current practices suggest.

"Police Deception and Dishonesty offers a penetrating exploration of a problem that has received less attention than that of outright police violence, but is arguably even more pervasive and pernicious. Employing his well-trained philosophical chops, and drawing on his experience as a former FBI special agent (surely, an exceptionally rare combination), Hunt offers a compelling argument for the vital role that truthful and honest policing needs to play in a liberal society." -- Stuart Green, Distinguished Professor of Law, Rutgers University

"Luke Hunt is one of today's leading philosophers on policing. In Police Deception and Dishonesty, he weaves together philosophy and real-world experience to show how many deceptive practices widespread in policing, whatever their short-term benefits, can have devastating consequences for police legitimacy." -- Ben Jones, Assistant Director and Professor, Rock Ethics Institute, Public Policy, Penn State University