The Police

The police role in contemporary society raises several basic questions. For example, for what social purpose do the police exist (Skolnick 1994)? What does society want the police to do? How does society want the police to do these things? How do the police balance “to protect and serve” with “to enforce the law?” (Walker and Katz 2002). Are views of and experiences with the police uniform across members of the public? What aspects of modern policing generate controversy and conflict? Who will control the controllers? This chapter considers these questions central to developing a basic understanding of contemporary police and policing.