The author argues that this typology represents a distinct type of person who is familiar to the police and with whom they deal on a regular basis. His second thesis is that the label arises from a set of situated conditions largely unrelated to the formal, social mandate of the police (i.e., to protect life and property, arrest offenders, and preserve the peace) but rather in response to some occupational and personal concerns shared by most patrolmen. The article describes certain understandings shared by street-level patrolmen as to what is involved in their work, and deals with the concept of street justice as it is meted out to the "asshole." The article implies that there is an implicit license granted by society to the police, by virtue of which certain police actions taken against this type of person are not governed. 9 notes and 46 references