Abstract
In this analysis we examine the possible structural determinants of police killings—the murder of police officers—by drawing on models of general homicide which emphasize the role of economic, cultural, and sociodemographic forces and factors. Examining the 50 states annually for the period 1977–1984, we find only partial support for the thesis of structural similarities between lethal assaults against police and general homicides. Rates for both types of killing are tied to the levels of absolute deprivation (percent poverty) and social integration or social disorganization (the divorce rate). Only homicides of civilians are associated significantly with general income inequality, black population, and urbanization; neither civilian nor police homicides are influenced significantly by racial income inequality or region. Despite variation in the pattern of results for the two types of homicide, the analysis supports the hypothesis that in the United States, lethal assaults against police have a definite s...
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