An overview explains that the researcher's role during the ridealong sessions with police officers is to observe what police officers do, what citizens do, and other characteristics of the situation. They interview the police officers after certain events to learn more about what they were thinking and deciding as the event unfolded. Their observations and records are all confidentiality. The recorded observations take the form of narrative descriptions and numerically coded data. The narratives cover rides, activities, and encounters, while the coded forms cover these areas and citizen encounters. The manual defines the terms, presents the coding forms and codes, and provides instructions for completing each form