Above the Law: Police and the Excessive Use of Force

Uses the now-famous Rodney King videotape to introduce an historical analysis of police violence, its role in police work, its causes and significance, and its incidence in law enforcement today

Highly publicized cases in Los Angeles, Detroit and Nashville during the past year make this study of police violence, which is likely to become a classic in law enforcement literature, especially timely. Skolnick, a University of California law professor, and Fyfe, a former New York City police officer who teaches criminal justice at Temple University, examine vigilante justice, the practice of "third degree" interrogation and "public order" policing; in so doing they place their subject in a historical context and exhibit an awareness of the changing styles of police work. They consider factors contributing to police brutality, causes of this abusive behavior (such as the "war on drugs" mentality) and remedies. In a conclusion that may surprise some readers, they aver that police violence has decreased over the past few decades because of improved police management, particularly with increased numbers of minority mayors and police chiefs.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Using as a starting point the acquittal of the cops accused of beating Rodney King, Skolnick (Law/Berkeley; House of Cards, 1978) and Fyfe (Criminal Justice/Temple Univ.) explore the reasons for, and suggest some solutions to, police brutality in America. Digging into police culture, the history of police departments, and the polarization of American society into criminal and noncriminal classes, the authors find several explanations for police brutality. Among them are: the narrow outlook of police executives; the insularity of police departments; the emphasis in police culture on military metaphors; and the handing down of the value of violence by higher-ranking cops to street officers. Few would quarrel with Skolnick and Fyfe when they contend that police ``are obliged to acknowledge the law's moral force and to be constrained by it,'' and few will be unconvinced by the authors' demonstration of how vulnerable Americans of all races and classes are to abuses of police power. Encouragingly, though, they conclude that brutality has diminished over the last 20 years as a result of greater minority representation on police forces nationwide. Skolnick and Fyfe make suggestions for reform (like ``community- oriented policing,'' a concept that already seems to have been implemented in many forces) that generally are intended to enhance community participation in policing. They also suggest videotaping police conduct as ``a technical tool deriving from a larger principle of police reform, which is that anything we can do to reduce the insularity of police is a good thing.'' An excellent history and analysis that balances sympathy for the dangers of police work with concern for its victims and with persuasive, if not profound, suggestions for reform. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Berkeley law professor Skolnick and Temple University criminal justice professor and former New York City police officer Fyfe examine the problem of police violence on the street, in crowd control, and in interrogations. Although they believe that police use of excessive force has decreased somewhat in the last 20 years, it is still widespread and is aggravated by the use of the military model, police culture, and methods of police administration. They argue that police agencies need major reforms including greater accountability, openness, and professionalism and would benefit from a new vision of policing. They are troubled by some police definitions of success (based on numbers of arrests versus preventing and solving peacekeeping problems); the view of police work as war rather than enlisting constructive community support; and the mindset of the "divided nation"--police allied with the white middle class against poor inner-city nonwhites. The authors include a detailed discussion of the Los Angeles police (including the Rodney King case) and other urban police departments as well as interesting comparisons with British policing. Students of criminal justice, public policy, and law, as well as police professionals and the educated public, won't want to miss this interesting, constructive, and timely book.
- Mary Jane Brustman, SUNY at Albany Libs.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.