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Working the Scam: Policing Urban Street Youth in a New World Context

University of Michigan

This study examines the environment and worldview of Sgt. T, a veteran officer in chargeof a specialized police unit. Sgt. T, along with his staff of officers and social workers, monitorsa major transportation hub in a large urban setting for runaway and homelessyouth as well as other minors unaccompanied by adults. The author uses skullduggery,first introduced by Sgt. T to mean "nothing is as it appears," as an interpretative lensand explores both its dangers and its usefulness. This includes the role skullduggeryplays in field access and how it is used in managing interpersonal transactions, maintainingauthority, and as an organizing worldview. New priorities and new skullduggeriessuggest the inevitable extinction of this youth unit, yet broader lessons are atstake. Empirical material, collected in the field, was primarily conversational andnarrative.

Key Words: policing • urban • street youth

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