Street level bureaucrats are front line public sector workers who represent American Government to citizens. They have considerable discretion and are the officials of the governmental system who citizens encounter. Street-level bureaucrats have considerable discretion because they work independently with little or no direct observation from superiors. Take police officers for instance, they patrol by themselves or with a partner on a daily basis. They must use discretions constantly and often make decisions without any oversight from a superior. An officer can go an entire shift without any contact with a supervisor. One strain described by Lipsky is threat and challenge to authority. This strain or stress occurs when street-level bureaucrats
