Police legitimacy

Police legitimacy refers to the way in which the police are viewed by the public they serve. In areas with high police legitimacy, the police are believed to be just and trustworthy. The public is more likely to call the police and confide in police officers and believes the police will actively help average citizens. In areas with low police legitimacy, on the other hand, the police are viewed with suspicion. The public does not believe the police care about average citizens or will help resolve their problems.

Many police departments have undergone reforms to help increase police legitimacy. They have increased community relations, attempting to improve the reputations of police officers within their districts. They have also begun to utilize procedural justice, which increases the average citizen’s opinion of interactions with authority figures.

Background

In the early days of policing in America, the police force did not care about police legitimacy. Early police forces were not employed by the state; they were hired by wealthy politicians. These politicians could hire anyone they felt would enforce the rule of law and fire a police officer for any reason. To remain employed, police officers had to please the politician they worked for, which was a clear conflict of interest.

Early police departments were small, local forces. Officers patrolled their designated areas on foot and knew the area well. They interacted closely with the community but had little or no supervision. This led to serious corruption within the police force. However, other than appealing to the politicians who employed the police, citizens had few options for dealing with corrupt police officers.

Police departments were reformed during the 1920s. Police became civil servants, who were employed by the state instead of local politicians. This era, called the professional era, introduced formal police academies and training programs. It also introduced tools like patrol cars and radios. Police officers’ primary responsibilities became fighting crime and resolving conflict.

In the 1970s and 1980s, police departments went through another series of reforms. They entered the community policing era. While the basic structure of the police department was unchanged, the philosophy of policing evolved. The new goal of the police officer was to reduce crime and disorder within a community. For this to be successful, police departments required the cooperation of the community itself.

Overview

Police legitimacy refers to the general public’s feelings toward police in a specific area. Communities with high police legitimacy view the police with respect, trust, and confidence. They believe that police officers have rightful authority and should be allowed to utilize that authority to resolve conflicts. They also feel that if given the opportunity, police officers will actively utilize their training and authority to solve problems within the community.

Three sets of public opinions are commonly used to measure police legitimacy in an area. In areas with high police legitimacy, residents are willing to call the police. This shows that they accept police authority. In these areas, residents also trust the police to do their job well. They believe that the police officers have good intentions and will perform their duties appropriately. Lastly, in areas with high police legitimacy, citizens tend to believe that police officers will act in a way that is morally acceptable.

Police legitimacy varies by geographic area. Certain areas have higher police legitimacy scores than others. There are many possible reasons for these variances. According to numerous surveys, racial and ethnic minorities frequently feel victimized by police. They are more likely to view police officers with distrust and suspicion than white people. However, many researchers believe that other factors also come into play, such as income, education, and age and the quality of police encounters.

Many police departments have instituted programs designed to build police legitimacy in their areas. A program instituted by Chicago’s police force is one of the most successful and has been used as a model for other police departments. This and other programs explore officer cynicism, including police officers entering situations expecting a specific outcome. The programs show how officer cynicism can endanger the reputation of a police department within a community and explain to officers how this can reduce police legitimacy in an area. They also show officers how important day-to-day interactions with the community are to police legitimacy and that working with community members will make it easier to manage conflicts.

These programs also work to increase police legitimacy through the use of procedural justice, which refers to an open, fair process conducted by those in authority. It includes four central concepts: voice, neutrality, respect, and trustworthiness. Voice refers to allowing people to tell their side of the story. When resolving a conflict, all parties involved want their side to be heard. Neutrality refers to fairness. Authority figures need to adjudicate consistently and fairly in an unbiased manner. To earn respect, authority figures must act as representatives of the state. If they act positively toward citizens, the citizens will think favorably of both the state and its representatives in the future. If they act negatively toward citizens, they may believe that the state does not truly care about them. Finally, trustworthiness refers to the belief that authority figures are genuinely acting in the best interest of the people.

While procedural justice increases police legitimacy, numerous acts can reduce it. Any action that the general public views as unfair hurts the image of the police and decreases police legitimacy. Such actions include being overly rough or acting in a way that appears to be biased. Word of these acts can spread quickly, and the damage they cause to the reputation of the police force takes time and effort to repair.

Bibliography

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