Question

The Dove Spa was a massage parlor, which the police suspected was operating as a prostitution enterprise, but they had no direct evidence to prove it. The police department decided to initiate an undercover operation in which a plainclothes detective entered and asked for the services of one of the women working there. The woman, of course, did not know he was a police officer, or was wearing a hidden microphone. For $100 and a $35 tip, she fondled the officer’s genitals. The same officer went back to the massage parlor four more times. Over a period of five months, the same officer also visited the massage parlor in another town and allowed the women, who were Chinese immigrants, to fondle him in exchange for cash. This was done in an apparent effort to investigate suspected prostitution and human trafficking. Ultimately, 30 police officers raided two businesses and arrested six people—four alleged prostitutes and two alleged pimps. The undercover methods were defended by the police, but were criticized by legal experts and women’s advocates as “excessive, unnecessary, and misapplied” to an investigation that involved suspected human trafficking.

Evaluate the moral permissibility of police officer’s actions in conducting this investigation using the critical thinking skills listed below:

-Isolate and evaluate the relevant facts on both sides

, -Identify the precise moral question to be answered, and

- Apply ethical principles to the moral question based on an objective evaluation of the facts, only then drawing a conclusion.

Answer 1

Evaluate the moral permissibility of police officer’s actions in conducting this investigation using the critical thinking skills

The question here is, did the police officer try to take advantage of the situation, for his pleasures, in the name of an undercover operation. In, his first visit, the police officer Thad already understood that the masseuse was taking money in exchange of fondling with the genitals of the officer. The first instance of this, would have been enough to prove that there were illegal activities going on. Further, in order to confirm, he could have visited another branch, so as to confirm that the entire chain of the massage parlour was carrying out such activities.

But the officer went four times in one branch and then to another branch as well. Even there, he allowed the women to fondle him. If he was true to his work, he could have stopped before the actual act would begin. But his acts, in the name of the undercover act, was also fulfilling his pleasure quotient. Hence, the criticism was correct, “excessive, unnecessary, and misapplied”