Trust in Law Enforcement | The Calumet Roundtable - 283

This week’s discussion with Howard Cohen, professor of philosophy and chancellor emeritus of Purdue University Calumet, centers on the moral dimension of police work. Cohen co-wrote a book titled “Power & Restraint: The Moral Dimension of Police Work” (Praeger, 1991) with Michael Feldberg in which they discuss the responsibilities police have in accepting the authority to govern society. Host Tom Roach, asks Cohen to explain the system of ethical standards discussed in his book: fair access, public trust, safety and security, teamwork, and objectivity. Roach compares police work the public sees in movies to real-life police work, asking if the public really trusts the police.

After the break, the two discuss the November 2015 shooting of Laquan McDonald in Chicago. Cohen says that the problems in policing are largely systemic, rather than about one individual.

“The Calumet Roundtable” is a thirty-minute weekly television program which presents interviews with academic figures conducted by Dr. Thomas Roach and Dr. Lee Artz, both well-known and respected within the Communication & Creative Arts Department at Purdue University Northwest. "The Calumet Roundtable" focuses on issues in communication and media, politics, and scholarly research.

"The Calumet Roundtable" airs Thursdays at 5:30 a.m. on WCPX-TV, ION Television in Chicago.