The United States: Confidence In The Police As Political Institutions

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The police are amongst the powerful agents of the state. They can disrupt the daily routines of citizens more than any other public official by deciding who shall be stopped, who shall be detained, who shall be arrested, and who shall go free. Cao (2015) stated, “Confidence in the police is the preferred choice when we survey the citizenry about the level of support for the police and when the police is evaluated as a political institution” (para. 1). Not even the president of the United States has their immediate and direct power over life and death. Yet despite their awesome capacities, until recently they have been studied little by social scientists or philosophers.
A number of studies by Loyens, Hickman, Powell, Piquero, and Greene show

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