When I signed up for the FWPD Citizens Police Academy, my goal wasn’t to become an expert on law enforcement.

I wanted to deepen my awareness of the profession, get clearer on procedures and policies, and untangle some of the words I kept hearing in the media but didn’t fully understand.

I had all the usual questions a civilian has, but underneath was something bigger: How do I build genuine empathy for a role I will never hold?

Most of us have never been asked to really think about how our local justice agencies operate and collaborate.

But at some point, if we care about our community, we have to ask: What does it mean for a police department to be “legitimate” — and who gets to decide?

I first heard the phrase “police legitimacy” in a 2020 Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy c

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