Police executives have a vested interest in prohibiting sexual harassment at work, both from a moral and an economic viewpoint. Further, members of law enforcement are entrusted with the authority to enforce laws and protect the civil rights of community members. Sexual offenses and misconduct implicating law enforcement represent abuse of this authority. It is imperative that executives proactively address and work to prevent such incidents, establishing and maintaining a healthy culture through agency mission, policy, and training.

Legal criteria draw a distinction between sexual harassment and sexual misconduct, but, in reality, this distinction is not always clear. Thus, separate model policies for Sexual Harassment and for Sexual Misconduct are both presented here, along with a combined Concepts & Issues paper that discusses both sexual harassment and sexual misconduct and the similarities and differences between the two concepts.