ABSTRACT
Introduction According to the report of the President’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, decades of research and practice support the premise that people are more likely to obey the law when they believe that those who are enforcing it have the legitimate authority to tell them what to do. However, the public confers legitimacy only on those whom they believe are acting in procedurally just ways.1 Procedurally just behavior is based on four central principles:
• Treating people with dignity and respect • Giving individuals a “voice” during encounters • Being neutral and transparent in decision-making • Conveying trustworthy motives
The report noted that research demonstrates that these principles lead to relationships in which the community trusts that ofcers are honest, unbiased, benevolent, and lawful. The community therefore feels obligated to follow the law and the dictates of legal authorities, and is more willing to cooperate with and engage those authorities because it believes that it shares a common set of interests and values with the police. As we discuss police misconduct, it is quickly demonstrated that, in the present day, a lot of citizens no longer believe that the police are honest and trustworthy.
