Policing Dynamics: Authority and Discretion

Slide 2 Power & Authority Power: The capacity to have one’s will carried out,

even in the face of resistance. Authority: People follow commands because they are

legitimate, not due to a threat. Medical doctors possess professional authority rooted

in technical knowledge, skill, and expertise. Police possess legal-rational authority rooted

in the rule of law; but they are also entitled to use force, an expression of

state power. Slide 3 Today’s Lecture – Police work: Street-level bureaucrats,

autonomy and discretion – Police–civilian interactions: What type of situation? Status and flows

of deference – This week’s reading: A case study of police–street vendor interactions