Mental Health and Police Legitimacy

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 the 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 people, have significantly lower confidence in the police than those without mental illness. This study offers new insights into the unique relationship between mentally ill individuals and policing, advocating a cultural shift within police forces from a mindset of “soldiers” to one of guardians and from law enforcers to peace officers. It emphasizes the need for increased frontline police officer training in handling mental health crises and closer collaboration between police and healthcare providers.