Police Accounts of Normal Force

Abstract

This research explores how police themselves classify and evaluate acts of force as either legal, normal or excessive. It begins by examining how rookie police learn on the street to use and account for force in a manner that contradicts what they were taught at the academy. It then considers “normal force” and the accounting processes whereby police judge when and how much force is appropriate in specific situations and incidents. It concludes with a discussion of excessive force and peer reactions to those who use it frequently. The study is based on approximately one and one-half years of field work in a major urban police department in the United States.