Viewing things differently: the dimensions of public perceptions of police legitimacy

摘要

One of the more recently explored topics in police research concerns the concept of legitimacy. Legitimacy is essentially the belief of individuals that they should obey and follow the judgments of legal authorities. Empirical evidence has shown that legitimacy is vital in inducing cooperation and compliance from citizens. This notion differs from the ideas rooted in deterrence theory because legitimacy delves deeper past law violation and into why citizens aid authorities by volunteering information about crimes in their communities. The concept of legitimacy is often closely tied to the public's belief in procedural fairness. It, however, is important to distinguish the difference between obligation and legitimacy. Obligation refers to the publics' fear of the consequences of non-compliance, whereas legitimacy refers to the recognized police claim to exercise power and assert authority. This distinction can be difficult in this type of research, and this study aims to better understand these topics and the association between them.