DATA ON PUBLIC IMAGES WERE COLLECTED BY THE RESEARCHERS, USING QUESTIONNAIRES, WHILE DATA ON POLICE SELF-IMAGES WERE GENERATED BY ANOTHER STUDY. THESE DATA INDICATE THAT WITHIN THE POLICE DEPARTMENT CYNICISM TOWARD BOTH THE DEPARTMENT AND THE PUBLIC IS COMMON. LIKEWISE, THE PUBLIC HAS RESPONDED WITH ITS OWN FORM OF CYNICISM TOWARD THE POLICE DEPARTMENT. BOTH GROUPS HAVE LOST CONFIDENCE IN ONE ANOTHER. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE POLICE DEPARTMENT'S TENDENCY TO REMAIN ALOOF FROM THE PUBLIC THEY SERVE HAS DEVELOPED A COMMUNICATIONS GAP WHICH HAS LED TO A CREDIBILITY GAP. THE AUTHORS PROPOSE THAT GOOD POLICECOMMUNITY RELATIONS ARE UNLIKELY AS LONG AS THIS MUTUAL CYNICISM EXISTS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)