Forthcoming at *Criminology & Public Policy.*
A discussion about engaging with the media and the public as an early career researcher.
We use data on violence against police as a benchmark to understand racial disparities in OIS.
We examine police perceptions of their legitimacy in the eyes of the public, using survey data from two police samples.
Police perceive the media as hostile toward them, and it increases their fear of false allegations.
Negative publicity in the previous 6 months was associated with lower self-legitimacy in a sample of sheriff's deputies.