The Response of Police Agencies

Police response to the protest of the 1960's has not been monolithic. Although one can and must generalize, it must be borne in mind that police response not only has varied geographically, but has also been affected by differ ences in administrative style among agencies within certain regions and by the time factor: the results of one confronta tion can have either a positive or negative effect on police procedures in a later one. Although the substance, tactics, and strategies of protest movements have changed, police agencies are precisely those institutions most resistant to change in operating procedures and administrative styles. One reason for this conservatism is lack of experience in deal ing with mass protest groups; another is the long-standing hostile relationship between police agencies and minorities, civil rights groups, and social protest in general, a relationship which indicates that police reflect the basic conservatism of much of the public. The confrontations between police and Negro-protest-movement groups during the struggle for civil rights illustrate the problem, especially those which occurred during the period of nonviolent direct action and during the sporadic riots in various urban ghettos from 1964 to 1968. That effective police action can prevent the eruption of vio lence without interfering with the rights of individual citizens was proven by the success of police strategy in dealing with protest groups at the Republican National Convention in 1964. Generally, however, the usually conservative operating posture of the nation's police when dealing with protest groups reflects the posture of the political system itself.—Ed.