THE RURAL INDIANA COUNTY HAS 1 MAJOR CITY (POPULATION 9,000) WITH A POLICE FORCE OF 23 PERSONS. A 3-MONTH PERIOD OF OBSERVATION, INTERVIEWING, AND DATA RECORDING YIELDED RESULTS WHICH, WHEN ANALYZED, INDICATED THAT THE WORKING PERSONALITY OF RURAL POLICE OFFICERS IS CHARACTERIZED BY ISOLATION FROM THE COMMUNITY, AUTHORITY, DANGER, AND SOLIDARITY WITH OFFICERS. A HIGH DEGREE OF SHARED CHARACTERISTICS EXISTS AMONG THE RESIDENTS OF THE RURAL AREA AND LIKEWISE AMONG THE OFFICERS. LESS THAN 1 PERCENT OF THE OFFICERS WERE FOREIGN BORN, AND 65 PERCENT WERE NATIVES OF THE INDIANA COUNTY IN WHICH THEY WORKED. THE RURAL POLICE APPEARED TO MAKE A GREATER USE OF BARGAINING OR WARNING (ALLOWING VIOLATORS TO ESCAPE ARREST OR TICKETING IN RETURN FOR THEIR PROMISE TO DESIST FROM THE UNDESIRABLE BEHAVIOR) THAN DID URBAN POLICE. CITIZEN'S PERCEPTIONS OF THE COUNTY AND CITY POLICE DEPENDED GREATLY ON THE SOCIAL IDENTITY OF THE SHERIFF OR OFFICERS IN THEIR ROLES AS CITIZENS RATHER THAN AS LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS. THE RESULTS OF THE STUDY CONCUR, TO A LARGE DEGREE, WITH IDEAS IDENTIFIED IN A LITERATURE REVIEW ON RURAL POLICE INCLUDED IN THE ARTICLE. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)