Establishing Police Legitimacy: The Influence of Procedural Justice in a Local Jurisdiction

Over the years, police departments have incorporated various techniques to secure citizen compliance with the law and local authorities. Despite the advancement of policing, support for police has reached a historic low. Research consistently demonstrates that styles of policing are linked to overall perceptions of police legitimacy. Specifically, procedurally just policing or process-based policing generates voluntary compliance with the law and secures trust from citizens. Departments that incorporate the components of procedural justice receive fewer complaints and show reductions in use of force incidents. This study adds to the existing literature regarding citizen perceptions of police through procedurally just policing. It also adds data on modern policing tactics utilized by law enforcement to increase perceptions of legitimacy: body worn cameras. Utilizing data collected from mail-out surveys, the results demonstrate that confidence in police is elevated when officers are trustworthy, open, and perceived as operating in a fair and neutral manner