Hey there!

My name's Steve, and I'm doing a study for a doctoral thesis in psychology. I'm studying the relation of chaos and law, as put forward in Poul Anderson and Michael Moorcock's novel Three Hearts and Three Lions. The basic principal was adapted by Gary Gygax in the RPG Dungeons and Dragons, and put simply, there are 9 states of ethical and moral alignment: lawful good, lawful neutral, lawful evil, neutral good, neuteral, neutral evil, chaotic good, chaotic neutral, and chaotic evil. Think about it in the sense of the end justifying the means.

Because of this, I have a couple questions i'd like to ask. I'd definitely appreciate answers, and opinions! Feel free to open lines of discussion on anyone's answers or the questions themselves.

1. Would you be happier in your day to write 10 tickets, or to not see a single person break the law? Why?

2. Do you feel there should be checks and balances in law enforcement, or that it should act independantly? (ie, should the police be policed?)

3. Should officers be rewarded for writing a high number of tickets or repremanded for writing a low number of tickets either financially, or otherwise?

4. Do you feel the 4th and 5th amendments do a better job of protecting people or protecting criminals? Do you feel your job would be better/easier without these in place?

5. Do you feel victimless crimes, like smoking marijuana in the home or peacefully protesting in a non-designated area, to be unnecessary or necessary for the good of the people? Is there such thing as victimless crime?

6. Do you feel public safety laws, such as seatbelt law or motorcycle helmet law or cocain use, to be necessary for the safety of the population, or the government stepping in where it doesn't belong?

7. Do you feel mirandizing those under arrest to be a necessary part of the arrest process? Why or why not?

8. What is your opinion on due process of those charged with a crime? Should there be a "fast track" when there is insurmountable evidence that the individual committed the crime, or do you feel everyone deserves the best defense possible?

9. Do you feel people should be given more lenient or harsher treatment if they are kind, understanding, older, female, black, male, vulgar, or any other criterion?

10. Should the police be authorized to use deadly force without question, or should there be a full investigation into any incident when an officer causes the death of a citizen?

Make sure to include the size of your police force and the size of the city/town/county/area you patrol. That info is necessary to the quantization of data, and to examine possible trends.

A little background on me: I'm 23, and a grad student at Princeton University working towards my doctorate in psychology. I've attended Princeton since I was 16, and plan on publishing these results inside of 2 years. I am not only asking law enforcement; I'm also asking lawmakers, individuals in prison, and day-to-day citizens. The questions are being tailored to the group's background, but are being examined by a board of 3 doctors of phychology for their neutrality.