THE RESEARCH ORIGINATED UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT ATTENTION TO THE REALITIES OF 'ACTUAL' POLICE WORK RATHER THAN ONLY LEGALISTIC MATTERS WOULD YIELD AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN OFFICIAL AND WORKING ROLE PROCESSES. IT EXPLORES THE SOCIOLOGICAL AND NONSOCIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF THE POLICE ROLE AND DISCUSSES DIFFERING SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWS OF THE OFFICER AS IDEOLOGUE, SYSTEMATIST, SOURCE OF LABELING, OR OCCUPATIONAL PRAGMATIST. THE STRATEGY AND CRAFT OF ROLE RESEARCH ON POLICE IS EXAMINED WITH EMPHASIS ON THE PROBLEMS OF GAINING ENTREE TO THE DEPARTMENT AND OF THE RESEARCH ROLE. THE RESEARCH ALSO EXAMINES TWO BASIC FUNCTIONS OF THE POLICE WORKING ROLE, LEARNED THROUGH THE MECHANISM OF THE COACHING RELATIONSHIP. THE WORKING ROLE IS SEEN AS TRANSLATING THE EDICTS, DEMANDS, AND MEANINGS OF THE OFFICIAL ROLE INTO UNDERSTANDABLE AND RELEVANT TERMS AND AS ISOLATING IMPORTANT FROM UNIMPORTANT WORK. THE STUDY FURTHER EXAMINES THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE WORK ROLE TO THE WAY PARTICULAR TYPES OF POLICE WORK, INCLUDING THE WAY IN WHICH THE 'NORMAL CALL' IS HANDLED AND THE STRATEGIES OFFICERS USE IN DEALING WITH PARTICULAR SITUATIONS SUCH AS FAMILY DISTURBANCES. DATA WERE DRAWN FROM INTERVIEWS AND OBSERVATIONS OF A SMALL MUNICIPAL POLICE DEPARTMENT IN A LARGE METROPOLITAN AREA CONSISTING OF 60 SWORN MALE OFFICERS AND 1 FEMALE OFFICER. THE DISSERTATION CONCLUDES WITH A PROPOSAL OF 35 PROPOSITIONS WHICH DESIGNATE THE CONDITIONS UNDER WHICH THE WORKING ROLE IS MOST LIKELY TO BE ENACTED. FOOTNOTES, AN APPENDIX OF KEY TERMS, AND REFERENCES ARE ATTACHED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--AOP)