Increasing Police Legitimacy. Since the deployment of the first police officers in the country, police have been faced with challenges to their legitimacy as an institution with the authority to control the freedoms of others. It has improved over time but suffered setbacks due to high profile incidents of police misconduct such as the Rodney King incident in Los Angeles. A divide exists in the public with their view of police. Often racial and ethnic differences feed the divide with minority groups often having lower trust and confidence in law enforcement (Sunshine & Tyler, 2003).
With time has come a realization that police cannot function without the support of the community in which they serve. Historically police have been reactive in nature. Officers would conduct neighborhood patrols but were isolated by vehicles and speed so that interaction with citizens was limited. The effectiveness of an agency’s crime prevention strategy was determined by the number of arrests that were made and the punishment dished out. As a result, crime prevention increased through the use of high visibility patrols, field interviews, and traffic stops. This approach alienated communities and views on procedural justice and police legitimacy suffered (Sunshine & Tyler, 2003).
Over the past few decades, law enforcement leaders began to try new …show more content…
In fact, citizens took little notice when proactive patrolling was cut out all together or increased by two to three times. However, citizens do routinely contact police agencies with special requests for extra patrol at problem locations or when they have been victimized by criminals. In these situations, officers should continue to conduct patrols in order to meet community expectations and alleviate the fear of crime in these specific
With time has come a realization that police cannot function without the support of the community in which they serve. Historically police have been reactive in nature. Officers would conduct neighborhood patrols but were isolated by vehicles and speed so that interaction with citizens was limited. The effectiveness of an agency’s crime prevention strategy was determined by the number of arrests that were made and the punishment dished out. As a result, crime prevention increased through the use of high visibility patrols, field interviews, and traffic stops. This approach alienated communities and views on procedural justice and police legitimacy suffered (Sunshine & Tyler, 2003).
Over the past few decades, law enforcement leaders began to try new …show more content…
In fact, citizens took little notice when proactive patrolling was cut out all together or increased by two to three times. However, citizens do routinely contact police agencies with special requests for extra patrol at problem locations or when they have been victimized by criminals. In these situations, officers should continue to conduct patrols in order to meet community expectations and alleviate the fear of crime in these specific