The discussion is less concerned with the explicit functions of police than with the currents in society which determine those functions and which define limits of authority. This approach goes beyond the easy notion of law enforcement as an aggregate of activities of officers and forces and fixes policing as a public institution embedded in society; legal status and authority derived from law are assumed to be but one facet of society's construction of that institution. Legitimacy implies a continuous process by which society reacts to an organization's activities, and through tolerance, criticism, or active support, defines the nature and limits of those activities. The concept of legitimacy, central to policing a democratic society, provides insights by which many of the inherent complexities and conflicts faced by police can be organized into useful perspectives. While the authors bring a single viewpoint to the work, their contributions are complementary rather than strictly collaborative, representing both a social theoretical and an individual, professional focus. The separate chapters treat legitimation, social structure, and social order, with an examination of public attitudes toward the police; ideology and its impact on personal and organizational legitimation; and the social realities of policing. References and extensive appendixes accompany each chapter. (Author summary modified)