Racial Reconciliation, Truth-Telling, and Police Legitimacy

Publication Date: 2012
Tag(s): community relations, ethics, law enforcement
Author(s): Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
Abstract: This publication gives police executives the chance to hear from their own colleagues why engaging in the process of racial reconciliation is not only morally but also functionally and operationally critical. The concepts of police legitimacy, legal cynicism, and informal social control introduced here provide the theoretical underpinning that helps to explain in practical terms how police who actively and sincerely engage with their communities of color will find they can do their job better and more effectively.