NCJ Number
193031
Editor(s)
Ronald G. Burns,
Charles E. Crawford,
M. L. Dantzker
Date Published
2002
Length
252 pages
Annotation
This book provides an account of acts of violence by and against police officers.
Abstract
Chapter One documents the origins of police violence from a historical, materialistic, and dialectical perspective. Chapter Two examines the research surrounding violent acts by and against police officers. Chapter Three describes how officers are socialized and includes an overview of the subculture of policing. In Chapter Four, an account is provided of the situational factors affecting an officer’s likelihood to use or be the victim of violence. Chapter Five presents and questions the literature regarding deadly force, examining measurements of deadly force, related training issues, and why some officers use deadly force while others refrain from doing so. Chapter Six suggests that increased professionalization of policing begins with improved training and that many violent encounters between citizens and suspects can be avoided through appropriate police responses. In Chapter Seven, the importance of police pursuits is demonstrated as well as how such acts can be recognized as violence. Chapter Eight addresses various aspects of community policing and how related changes will impact police violence. Chapter Nine suggests that the most significant determinate of police violence is the country’s form of government. Chapter Ten provides a look at the future of police violence. In general, “more of the same” is expected in the next few years, followed by a short period of “new” violence, and finally a “real” decrease in violence by and against police. In the final chapter of the book, the significance of police violence in everyday life is addressed.