Police Legitimacy
What it Is and Why it Matters
Police legitimacy refers to the collective belief that the police are fair and effective in the performance of their law enforcement duties. When police legitimacy is compromised, it can lead to public distrust, citizen non-compliance, and loss of community support. Police legitimacy can be quickly and easily compromised in the aftermath of high-profile event, such as an officer-involved shooting, case of police corruption, or mishandling of a case. Police legitimacy can also erode slowly over time due to what citizens perceive as ineffective and continuous mismanagement of calls for service and failure to close cases in a timely manner. Simply put, police legitimacy is easy to lose and difficult to regain. But it can, and has, been done.
Are you ready to earn back the trust of your community?
