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Democratic Governance and the Role of the Police
Author(s) -
Jones Matthew
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
public administration review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.721
H-Index - 139
eISSN - 1540-6210
pISSN - 0033-3352
DOI - 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2008.00894.x
Subject(s) - officer , corporate governance , democracy , state (computer science) , political science , citation , state police , library science , public administration , law , sociology , management , law enforcement , computer science , politics , economics , algorithm
The police, in any society, are often the most visible representatives of the state's power. Given the ability of the police to deprive citizens of the basic right of liberty, the maintenance of police legitimacy in a democracy is paramount. Additionally, the effectiveness of the police in a de mocracy is inherently tied to a community's percep tion of the police as a legitimate agent of the state. A great deal of literature exists on discussions pertaining to controlling the police and safeguarding the public against an arbitrary abuse of power, yet there is an ever-increasing group of scholars who have begun to ponder the important and systemic role that the police may play in the formation and maintenance of a democratic society. As evidenced by these works, an increasing myriad of multidisciplinary researchers are focusing their interests on the political, social, and institutional roles of police in a democratic society.