ABSTRACT
Physical violence and beatings were routinely administered to those on the street who challenged our police authority, an affront that we saw as a most egregious violation of an unspoken moral code that privileged the rule of law and the unquestioned role of the police in the interpretation and administration of that law, both formal and informal. Although police violence continues to the present day, and particularly in marginalized communities, there exists a level of accountability, that was intentionally absent in the earlier decades of policing. Progressive police policy makers are seeking input from their constituent communities as well as from the academy in forging responses to the complexities of the demands confronting contemporary policing. The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States in November of 2016 escalated concerns that police misconduct, violence, and overreach would no longer be subject to federal oversight, evaluation, and regulation.
