In an attempt to extend previous research, this study addressed the question of those factors which influence police killings within cities. A number of testable hypotheses were presented and included: (1) the threat hypothesis predicts that cities with a large economic or racial underclass exhibits more killings by police; (2) the community violence hypothesis predicts that cities with higher levels of violent crime will have higher numbers of police killings of citizens; (3) the professionalism hypothesis predicts that cities that more closely screen police candidates who are highly educated will experience fewer police killings; and (4) the bureaucratic control hypothesis suggests that more formalized agencies with a greater level of control will have fewer police killings. Data on police killings of felons were collected from the 1994 to 1998 supplemental homicide reports (SHR) compiled by the FBI. Only those cities with 100,000 or more residents were studied. Study findings indicated that measures of racial threat and community violence were related to police killings. Overall, the study points to a more general need for research on the effects of organizational factors on police violence. References