People face ethical dilemmas every day. But it is perhaps the most common occurrence in the law enforcement profession. Law enforcement officers constantly face ethical dilemmas. Some of the ethical issues that police face on a daily basis include: racial profiling, police discretion, police loyalty, police mistreatment, and deception during interrogation. This article will discuss the purpose of deception during interrogations, the ways in which it is used, some of the current debates over this practice, and a landmark decision in the 1966 Miranda case that attempted to end the use of deception practices. intimidation and coercion of the police. .The purpose or “purpose of [an] interrogation is to facilitate the act of confessing [and obtaining the truth]” (Leo and Thomas, 1998). The problem arises when an officer sits down with a suspect to try to extract information or a confession; however, the suspect refuses to cooperate. So how can an officer facilitate the process and get a suspect to talk or, better yet, confess? Years ago, police accomplished this through the use of force, also known as police brutality. This practice was abandoned due to the violation of individual rights. The police were forced to look for other means of obtaining information that did not rely on inhumane practices. This turnaround came in the form of trickery and deception; called deception interrogation. This type of psychological coercion is taught and practiced daily by today's law enforcement agencies. It is based on the utilitarian view of policing that the means justify the result. This type of interrogation is conducted in a manner “that elicits confessions by deceiving suspects who have waived their right to remain silent” (Skolnick & Leo, 1992). For example, an officer co...... middle of paper ......t, “Various factors can contribute to false confessions during police interrogation. Many cases included a combination of several of these causes. They may include [but are not limited to]: duress, coercion, diminished capacity, mental deficiency, ignorance of the law, fear of violence, infliction of harm, threat of severe punishment and even misunderstanding of the situation” (Innocence Project). All of these factors have a huge effect during an interrogation. If someone is ignorant of the law, they can confess to it in order to end the uncomfortable nature of the situation. Unaware that he or she has now compromised. As a result, the Innocence Project has advocated recording interrogations as a way to protect the suspect and law enforcement personnel and perhaps force officers to act more ethically, which would result in fewer legality issues..