Subtitled, "An Ethical Guide to Personal & Professional Development in the Field of Criminal Justice," this text has obviously been written specifically for law enforcement officers, however, the concepts within will be of value to virtually anyone who is on the Warrior Path. Since Warriors have the power of Life & Death (whether it has been officially entrusted to them or not), a strong ethical foundation is essential if they wish to be included amongst the "good guys" (or, at the very least, if they wish to avoid incarceration and infamy). This book can provide such a foundation.

I disagree with a few of Mister Jetmore’s statements, and his philosophy may initially appear to be a bunch of "touchy-feelie" New-Age fluff (which will, no doubt, turn a lot of folks off), but his core message is valid. You have to strive to be a good person, and if you want to "make the world a better place," you need to start with yourself first. Although Mister Jetmore has presented himself as a Christian, he doesn’t blow his credibility by getting preachy or quoting scripture. Unlike the fundamentalists, he encourages tolerance and understanding when dealing with folks of differing cultures. He also goes on to quote various wise men from diverse belief systems, further distancing himself from the fundies. For a Christian Cop, Mister Jetmore really seems like a decent fellow.

Nearly the entire book discusses what he feels defines a "Warrior," how Warriors (particularly law enforcement officers) can "shield and heal" themselves emotionally (a concept avoided like the plague by more "macho" commentators), and how law enforcement officers can become better at their jobs through self-improvement. He then goes on to present the reader with a series of examples of ethical dilemmas, showing you that often there are numerous ways to react to any given situation, and that the "appropriate" response is seldom clearly defined. A law enforcement officer must be able to react to a situation instantly, relying solely upon his (often flawed or inadequate) training, years of experience, and, perhaps most importantly, his intuition. Since the policeman seldom has the opportunity to consult with a supervisor prior to acting, he has a great deal of responsibility — and if he makes a bad decision, he could find himself reprimanded, demoted, sued, discharged, or even subject to criminal charges. Having a solid ethical foundation makes it far less likely that you’ll make a bad decision. This text should be required reading for all law enforcement officers — regardless of their current level of experience. Highly Recommended. A few short excerpts from this fine book follow:

"To put police ethics into perspective, let’s recognize that policing is not a job in the traditional sense, nor even a career. Policing is a ‘way of life.’ The difference is important. The police culture has a dramatic effect on the behavior of police officers. As stated before, police officers are very much a tribe, a cloistered semi-military society, still largely male dominated, that has definitive rites of passage and rigid standards of behavior that can’t be found in other professions. Due to the nature of police work, most behavior that is unethical is witnessed by other police officers. When asked by supervisors about the alleged misconduct of another officer, most choose to remain silent or say they didn’t see anything. This ‘code of secrecy’ in the police culture helps to insulate unethical and corrupt officers from being separated from police service or prosecuted under the law. The axiom ‘You’re either with us or against us’ is a common refrain in policing, reflecting that the police stick together as a group and view everyone else as the enemy." (pp. 15-16)

"After all, it’s easy to act ethically when you’re in pleasant surroundings, have no real time constraints, and are dealing with people you personally like and admire. It’s more difficult when you’re responsible for providing a ‘service’ to people you don’t like, who are obnoxious, offensive, unpleasant, and intimidating. They may also be quite different from you in terms of age, social class, ethnic background, and so on, which can add stress regardless of whether they’re pleasant or unpleasant simply because of differences. The stress of having contact with these types of people causes an officer to overload emotionally, making it difficult to reason through ethical alternatives." (p. 20)

"Part of this stress results from not being able to adequately help many of the victims of criminal behavior or prevent criminals from preying on the weak and helpless. What officers see and their efforts to help other people often fall short of the idealistic expectations they have established for themselves. This results in a conflict between what they would have liked to have done and what actually occurred. The loss of self-esteem resulting from failing to achieve the often superhuman goals officers set for themselves leads to depression and a sense of reduced personal accomplishment." (p. 22)

"In addition, police officers make decisions every single work day about which laws to enforce or not enforce and when, who to arrest and who to let go, whether to warn or issue a ticket, and how much force to use when effecting an arrest. Police officers make discretionary decisions as to when it is appropriate to search people, their cars, and their homes. Studies indicate that the majority of arrests made by the police occur without an arrest warrant signed by a judge and are based on an officer’s perception of whether probable cause to arrest exists. The individual officer weighs the alternatives and makes these independent decisions on the street under very dangerous and stressful conditions without the benefit of law books or scarcely even time for reflection." (p. 29)

"There are many who wear the badge and carry the gun who are not yet peacekeepers and lack the attributes necessary to become caregivers. Passing some tests, graduating from a police academy, taking an oath of office, and receiving a badge and gun, does not make a person a cop. They may have the symbols of the office and wear the uniform but still have not embraced the code of a warrior." (p. 109)

"Most of a police officer’s time is spent delivering social service to others — taking care of people. It has long been said in policing that an officer is part social worker, priest, doctor, lawyer, psychologist, and magician. To become a warrior, you must be more than just formally educated and street savvy. You must acquire wisdom. Wisdom is common sense with a twist. It’s being able to reduce the complicated into simple terms. To know is more than to reason and intellectualize; it’s also to grow in heart and spirit." (p. 124)