Police Response to Interpersonal Violence: Defining the Parameters of Legal Control

Abstract

This paper examines factors influencing haw police handle violence between citizens. Police decision-making in violent encounters reflects styles of control, three of which are considered in this analysis: whether to mediate the problem, to arrest the combatants, or to resolve the matter by separating the disputing parties. Drawing on Black's theory of law and previous studies of police behavior, factors hypothesized to influence styles of control include characteristics of the parties involved such as race, sex, and relationship; aspects of the encounter itself, such as weapon use, location, and whether the citizens involved have been drinking; and the context in which the encounter occurs, such as the type of neighborhood. The analysis indicates that haw police handle these encounters reflects who is involved in addition to what has occurred. The implications of these findings for a more complete understanding of police decision-making are discussed.

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