This volume in the series Sociology of Crime, Law, and Deviance edited by Mathieu Deflem addresses contemporary issues of policing with a focus on the characteristics of police power as a coercive force in society and its continued need for legitimacy in a democratic social order. The book brings scholars together to discuss a variety of important topics concerning police and policing. Developments and problems associated with police power are at the very front of current public debate. In the broader constellation of the culture of modern crime control, police institutions enjoy a privileged status. Continued developments in technology and surveillance have affected policing as have continued and new crime problems. Not least of all, of course, the legitimacy of policing has recently been questioned because of several highly-publicized incidents involving police violence. The chapters in this book provide clarification on these and related aspects of police and policing in society. This collection is valuable for students and scholars in sociology, criminology, law, political science, and public policy.
Introduction: The Perpetual Politics of PolicingPART I: THEORIES AND PRACTICES OF POLICE LEGITIMACYFair Policing from the Inside Out - Maarten Van CraenEnhancing Police Legitimacy by Promoting Safety Culture - Jordan C. Pickering and David A. KlingerPolicing Through Third Parties: Increasing Coercion or Improving Legitimacy? - Janet RansleyThree Pillars of Police Legitimacy: Procedural Justice, Use of Force, and Occupational Culture - William Terrill, Eugene A. Paoline Iii and Jacinta M. GauPART II: POLICE LEGITIMACY ACROSS THE GLOBEConservatives and the Constabulary in Great Britain: Cross-Dressing Conundrums - Robert ReinerInvestigations on the Legitimacy of the Swiss Police: Actual Debates and Empirical Evidence - Silvia StaubliPoliticization and Legitimacy of Police in India - Arvind VermaExplaining Police Attitudes Toward the Use of Force: the Case of Buenos Aires - Nicole E. HaasImproving Police Legitimacy by Measuring All That Matters: Reflections from the United States and France - Jack R. Greene, Christian Mouhanna, Sema A. Taheri and David Squier JonesPART III: THE CASE OF RACEMental Illness, Race, and Policing - Melissa Thompson, Kimberly Barsamian Kahn, Jean Mcmahon and Madeline O’NeilPolice Shootings in Black and White: Exploring Newspaper Coverage of Officer-Involved Shootings - Charles F. Klahm Iv, Jordan Papp and Laura RubinoParadise Lost: White Flight and the Construction of a Criminogenic Origin Myth - Aaron Roussell and Jason DunbarPART IV: POLICE TECHNOLOGY AND ORGANIZATIONCitizen Journalism and Police Legitimacy: Does Recording the Police Make a Difference? - Ashley K. Farmer and Ivan Y. SunWatching the Watchers: Theorizing Cops, Cameras, and Police Legitimacy in the 21st Century - Kirk MillerThe Politics of Private Policing: No Force and No Legitimacy? - Massimiliano MuloneThe Triangle of Recruitment, Selection, and Training in 21st Century Policing - Maria Haberfeld
Edited by Mathieu Deflem, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA