On a daily basis, police officers have the responsibility of protecting citizens in the face of conflicting public reactions to them and police officers routinely encounter dangerous situations. When police officers are charged with misconduct, the issue arises as to the fairness of such charges, particularly in terms of their impact on public perceptions of the police. The author looks at conflicting messages police officers receive in their training from superiors, the media, and the public and also examines high profile cases such as the Rodney King beating. He compares cases involving the abuse of police power with the countless cases of police work performed with integrity and concludes brutality and corruption only involve a small number of police officers. Notes, figures, and photographs