Research and analysis has supported the hypothesis that suspects’ demeanor affects police behavior. However, no analysis has considered the possible interaction effect of demeanor with other extralegal variables. This study used systematic observational data collected in 24 police departments in three metropolitan areas to examine whether demeanor and suspects’ characteristics interact, and ultimately produce differential patterns of citation, arrest, and the use of force. These estimated interaction effects provide a clearer understanding of the effect of demeanor in different contexts. More important, they acknowledge that officers accept some forms of disrespect but not others, depending on factors outside demeanor alone. The study compared the main effects of demeanor across types of encounters and few hypothesized interactions were confirmed by the empirical results. Finally, there was little evidence that the effect of a suspect’s demeanor on police behavior was sensitive to the suspect’s race, sex, or age, or on the visibility of the encounter or the seriousness of the offense. Notes, tables, references