Search Results

Policing is the only institution in America with the general right to use coercive force to accomplish its mandate. This class focuses on the benefits and social costs of policing, examining the evolution of the police role, the paramilitary structure of police organizations, and the recruitment and training paradigms that have shaped the identities of police officers. The course also critiques American policing and proposes a reimagined police role that deemphasizes crime fighting and coercive control in favor of protecting life. Throughout the course, students will consider and reconsider the question: If coercion is the defining feature of the police, does every interaction between the police and public have to be coercive?.