Rorschach-in-Action: Some Further Observations on the Semiotic Summons in Police-Citizen Encounters

The police are one of the mostauthoritative and visible agents of thecriminal law; yet, they have often beenconceptualized in an ``unofficial' way, aspseudo-parental figures, counselors, andmediators – and as inkblots that evoke a widerange of reactions from citizens, from anxietyand rage to fear. Explanations for these typesof reactions have been overly impressionistic,speculative, and psychological. In this note, Iconsider the notion of the police as``Rorschach-in-uniform.' By using data fromroutine traffic stops, I demonstrate how thesummons/answer sequence that is commonly foundin social and bureaucratic encounters isreduced and adapted to meet the situationalrelevancies of police work. I argue that it isthrough the semiotic summons that the Rorschachis given a practical embodiment.