FLUFFING UP THE EVIDENCE AND COVERING YOUR ASS - SOME CONCEPTUAL NOTES ON POLICE LYING

There are numerous circumstances in which police officers lie. They lie to complainants, victims and criminal suspects. Officers even lie in court, on official reports and to supervisors. The officer may be effecting an act of corruption, getting a problem suspect off the street, or convicting the guilty. However, the two most common instances of police lying occur under more mundane or “normal” circumstances. The officer may have some evidence and feel the need to “fluff it up” to make a more convincing case or he/she may feel additional points are needed to establish probable cause or avoid constitutional or other legal restrictions. The second most common instance occurs when the officer feels he/she must lie to avoid organizational discipline or criminal and/or civil liability. © 1990 by Hemisphere Publishing Corporation.