Mental Health and Police Legitimacy - CANCELLED

• In Event: Institutional Trust, Cultural Framing, and Community Relations

Abstract

Too many fatal shootings have occurred at the hands of frontline police officers, yet little research has investigated the relationship between mental health and confidence in the police. The current study addresses this gap in policing literature by examining how mental health influences confidence in the police. Consistent with speculations, OLS regression analysis of data from the Canadian General Social Survey, Cycle 34, reveals that individuals with mental illness, as well as Indigenous peoples and visible minorities, rate their perceived police legitimacy significantly lower than those without mental illness. This study offers new insights into the unique relationship between mentally ill individuals and policing, advocating for a cultural shift within police forces from a mindset of “soldiers” to that of guardians. It emphasizes the need for increased frontline police officer training in handling mental health crises and closer collaboration between police and healthcare providers.

Authors

• Ashlee Quinn-Hogan, Ontario Tech University

• Liqun Cao, Ontario Tech University