This study empirically confirms that dissatisfaction remains high and pervasive in the region. The literature review includes a discussion of both Russian and English studies that have identified various factors related to public satisfaction with police, as numerous prior studies have shown that public satisfaction with the police and other criminal justice institutions in Russia is problematic. The work provides an expansive background on historical factors related to satisfaction with police in contemporary Russia. An explanatory empirical model was developed to test whether low levels of public satisfaction with police in Russia could be attributed to the distrust of criminal justice institutions and fear of crime. This model was grounded in the motive-based theory of institutional trust. A brief historical summary is also included that highlights the development of the Soviet police. The findings of the study provide empirical evidence that criminal justice institutional trust is a major explanatory factor regarding public police satisfaction in Russia. This study examined data from 4,000 raw longitudinal citizen surveys collected annually from 1998 to 2005 mandated by the Russian Ministry of Interior Affairs and conducted by the Volograd Law Academy, focusing on citizen trust of criminal justice institutions and fear of crime as explanatory variables. Tables, references, notes