An examination of the effects of social forces on the police, psychological characteristics of individual officers, and the problems of management and control reveals the complex world of police officers as decisionmakers. Numerous examples of actual deadly force encounters are culled from research investigations in Newark, N.J.; Miami; Birmingham, Ala.; and Oakland to illustrate policing dilemmas. The discussion analyzes the various purposes guns serve in police activities, the cultural marriage of guns with policing, and the variety of armed confrontations faced by police officers. The traditional view that police officers' behavior can be adequately understood in terms of the final armed encounter is discredited. A comparison involving the personality profiles of some officers who have shot often and some who have rarely fired explores the role of human emotions and moral judgment in these confrontations. The text analyzes the impact of police administration policies and procedures upon decisions to shoot or not shoot. A final chapter examines how police departments might control unnecessary use of deadly force. Tables, chapter notes, and an index are provided. (Publisher summary modified)