How Police Justify the Use of Deadly Force

Abstract

Police shoot people while performing their occupational activities. This paper examines how police interpret, explain, and justify the use of lethal force. Formal rules governing this area of police behavior are vague, produce uncertainty, and provide only weak guidance for officers. The occupational subculture of police contains a set of shared understandings as to when, why, and against whom shooting is justified. Subcultural understandings also constitute resources upon which members may draw to explain and account for shooting incidents after the fact. Official accounts produced for outside audiences are fashioned in line with publicly acceptable and legally justified reasons for shooting.

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