ABSTRACT
Policing as enacted in the second decade of the twenty-first century is a perilous undertaking, for the communities that have borne the brunt of the monolithic police footprint, as well as (less commonly) for the police themselves. Dangerous and not infrequent instances of police excess, such as high-speed pursuits and other unsafe endeavors, have led to some calling for the defunding, disempowering, and the abolition of the police function as this role has evolved and increased exponentially over the decades. Ultimately a rigorous and robust civilian oversight process may prove to be an essential component of the survival of the police in the United States.
