The role of the police in building community identity among young people.

Abstract

Whether one subscribes to the view that the police are law enforcement officers, or that they are peace officers who maintain social order, most agree that an important function of the police is reinforcing community norms and intervening when those norms are violated. Social order depends heavily on voluntary compliance with the law and community norms, which, in turn, depend on community perceptions of the legitimacy of the police as an institution. Furthermore, trust and trustworthiness of government authority, as personified by the police, in the enforcement of citizenmade law provide