Violence Against Authority: Management, Policy, And Research Implications

Abstract

There has been a steady decline in violent crime in the United States in the past twenty years. Trends indicate that violent crime was down 13.4 percent below the 200l level and for property crime, society is experiencing the tenth straight year of declining rates.  Yet, the Southern region of the U.S is disproportionately represented by percentage of overall violent crimes committed nationally.  Also, the South is over-represented in the number of police officers who are feloniously killed or assaulted. This empirical research concentrates on violence directed against police in the U.S. and begins by examining the type and magnitude of workplace violence, then transitions to a review of the sociological, political, and psychological literature, focusing on the individual and social causes for violence generally.  It ends with an examination of officers feloniously killed (their personal characteristics and that of their assailants), the level of violence against police by type of arrest or enforcement situation, and by region of the country.

This paper provides a comparative analysis of street-level violence for general municipal assaults, robbery, and the most rapidly growing type of felonious assault—ambush attacks. The paper concludes with an analysis of the societal and behavioral characteristics and considerations related to violence against police.  The authors present a number of current trends, training recommendations, and suggestions for improving officer workplace safety.