“Like a Big Cool Family” – Smoothening Out Diversity Within the Police

Abstract

This article discusses narratives on diversity within two Swiss police corps. In biographical-narrative interviews, police officers smooth out diversity by neutralizing, externalizing and dosing differences. The experience of being different and speaking about differences goes against the organizational narrative of the “police as a family”. The latter contributes to building a homogenized and community-oriented police corps culture.

Keywords

• police
• diversity
• smoothening out diversity
• organizational narrative
• switzerland