Police chiefs’ views on police sexual misconduct

This paper examines police sexual misconduct (PSM). Twenty police chiefs in a major 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 reveal 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 for possible methods to control PSM are discussed including the need for police chiefs and administrators to make a genuine commitment to controlling this problem.