Walking among giants 50 years later - An exploratory analysis of patrol officer use of violence

Approximately 50 years age, William Westley's (1953) pioneering study of po lice officers brought to the forefront the special characteristics of polic e work. The present research raises the question: how far have the police c ome since Westley? Using focus group interview and surveys collected from a large Southwest police department, the study examines the situational role context of physical force. In doing so, it provides an explanation of phys ical force today, compared to explanations offered by Westley. The current research examines whether officer use of physical force and its severity ar e determined by the situation. The results confirm this hypothesis by sugge sting that physical force is determined situationally, according to low-ord er excessive force and high-order violent force. As a way of understanding the lack of change in attitudes and practice of physical force, a possible explanation is the patrol culture.