Cheapening Death: Danger, Police Street Culture, and the Use of Deadly Force

The police have come under fire recently as videos showing their use of force are heavily publicized in public and social media. The President's Task Force on 21st-century policing, though useful in reviewing current issues, fails to effectively address the use of force problem by not considering the power of informal police culture and the way in which street police perceive dangers. Exaggerating the dangers of the job, perception and responses to dangers by street police, and a lack of legal and managerial oversight of use of force and shooting and arrest situations are pointed to as major factors in why deadly use of force incidents occur. Recommendations on how to minimize such incidents even further are delineated.