Police Work and Culture in a Nonurban Setting: An Ethnographic Analysis

Abstract

This article represents the findings of an ethnographic analysis of police patrol activity in a nonurban setting. A growing body of research describes differences between urban and nonurban police work. However, the way officers think about their work in nonurban settings is relatively unstudied and is the purpose of this research. Data were collected through descriptions of the patrol setting and interviews of deputies. Findings showed support for themes of policing widely described in literature derived from urban-based research. However, the meanings associated with those themes sometimes differed from urban-associated research. At least in regard to the research setting considered here, generalizing from research conducted in urban settings would have resulted in the exclusion of meanings that capture important local dynamics.