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Lies, True Lies, and Conscious Deception

Police Officers and the Truth

University of South Carolina

Jeffrey J. Noble

Irvine, California Police Department

Police officers often tell lies; they act in ways that are deceptive, they manipulative people and situations, they coerce citizens, and are dishonest. They are taught, encouraged, and often rewarded for their deceptive practices. Officers often lie to suspects about witnesses and evidence, and they are deceitful when attempting to learn about criminal activity. Most of these actions are sanctioned, legal, and expected. Although they are allowed to be dishonest in certain circumstances, they are also required to be trustworthy, honest, and maintain the highest level of integrity. The purpose of this article is to explore situations when officers can be dishonest, some reasons that help us understand the dishonesty, and circumstances where lies may lead to unintended consequences such as false confessions. The authors conclude with a discussion of how police agencies can manage the lies that officers tell and the consequences for the officers, organizations, and the criminal justice system.

Key Words: police deception • lies • investigations • ethics

This version was published on June 1, 2009

Police Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 2, 237-254 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1098611108327315


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