Date of Award

2010

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology

Keywords

Communication and the arts, Social sciences

Supervisor

Danielle Soulliere

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

The training of new police recruits emphasizes the ability and willingness to use force in many different situations. Although the use of force is viewed as a given attribute of police work in North America, little attention is given to the process by which recruits are formally and informally trained to manage potentially volatile use of force situations. Through the use of a cultural criminological perspective this study examines the crime and policing related discourses presented in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's Incident Management/Intervention Model (IM/IM) use of force training module. Following, this the study discusses the potential role that the images presented in the reality television program COPS may have on the construction and interpretation of crime, criminality, risk and situations that may ultimately shape or influence how force is deployed by police officers in Canada. Furthermore, this study delves into the apparent discursive relation between COPS and the IM/M and discusses some possible repercussions of shaping use of force interactions based on the media-generated images of risk, crime discourses, the criminal, criminalization, the police, the public and the suspect.

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