Steve Martinot
This book is about the culture of the US police, and what it is that allows them to be as violent as they are. It approaches the elements of police culture by analyzing how they respond to incidents called by people who need help (calls to 911) and that contain no danger, and no urgency. Such situations begin peacefully, with no need for law enforcement. Yet someone gets shot and injured or killed by the police. What does that represent? How does that happen?To answer such questions, a deep analysis of the mind of the police, listing structures by which they think, is necessary. What assumptions must they make, and how must they approach people? How do they include impunity, insularity, contempt, provocation, militarism, collective thought, obeisance, and racism in what they do? These are not trained. They are not part of a cop’s job description. Why do the police embrace them? Each represents a different facet of social hegemony. How is that continually reproduced? And what is the police final program, the political game for which they need these structures.
