In a democratic society, law enforcement must simultaneously deliver services in a fair, unbiased, constitutional, and legal manner, and deliver services effectively. To do both of these things is very difficult and absolutely necessary.

These tasks are the foundations of public trust, confidence in the police function, and public cooperation with police efforts. Such trust and confidence are essential to the successful function of policing. If either the fairness or the effectiveness of the service is deemed insufficient, then policing will lose respect, trust, and public support.

Police leaders and line personnel are aware of a degree of decline in trust and confidence in policing over the past several years. This decline is real, but it is not intractable.

In the final analysis, trust, confidence, and public support for law enforcement occurs when ethical police agency cultures meet high community expectations coupled with an active community commitment to co-responsibility for public safety.