'We are no longer Allowed to be Human': Officers’ Experiences Policing the Compounding Crises of the COVID-19 Pandemic and Civil Unrest in the United States

Local police officers are among the most prominent frontline public servants, interacting daily with people, communities, and other agencies and stakeholders. They are, in the most literal sense, street-level bureaucrats. These interactions were greatly tested in the summer of 2020. Police managed – or in some cases refused to manage – enforcement orders for a global pandemic while at the same time policing in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. This article explores how officers in three local jurisdictions navigated these dual, compounding crises – which we can certainly expect many more of in the future – and the implications for police interactions, discretion (including de-policing) and job satisfaction. The article concludes with a discussion of how police leaders, local officials and community advocates can better support law enforcement professionals during times of crises.