Police Chiefs’ Views on the Nature, Extent, and Causes of Police Sexual Misconduct

This article explores police sexual misconduct (PSM).  Twenty police chiefs from the St. Louis metropolitan area were interviewed about their perceptions of the nature, extent, and causes of PSM.  Results suggest that chiefs believe PSM is a problem.  Although they generally report that the serious/criminal forms of PSM (e.g., rape sexual assault, and sex with a juvenile) are rare, they believe the less serious, non-criminal incidents (e.g., flirting on-duty, consensual sex on-duty, and pulling over a driver to get a closer look) are more common.  The data reveals four factors in particular that appear to influence this behavior: lack of knowledge about PSM, police departments’ complaint systems, opportunity for sexual misconduct, and the police culture.  Implications of the findings are discussed including the need for police chiefs and administrators to make a genuine commitment to controlling PSM.