Print

Fuller, T. C.

College of Education and Social Services

2010

Ed. D.

Policing in modem American society is a calling successfully pursued by few people. The profession has evolved over the years to a point that it is now more diverse, in tenns of gender, race, religion and sexual orientation, than at any time in its history. Those who answer the call today bring with them a host of perspectives, formed by a lifetime of varied experiences. Before becoming serving police officers, they are all subjected to a litany of training on a variety of subjects, including that most formidable of responsibilities: the administration of deadly force. Once a person becomes a law enforcement professional, they join a small, unique fraternity who have numerous responsibilities, including in some cases the legal requirement to take a human life in an instant, rarely with the luxury of sober reflection and guidance. How we take people with such distinct sentiments and train them for this task is a crucial, yet haphazardly addressed, area of the profession. It is also one which this dissertation hopes to address, in an effort to begin a desperately needed conversation on this critical issue.