Image and social portrait of a police officer

The problem of improving the image of police officers is an urgent and significant task for the Russian state. In the article, the author reveals the concepts of "image" and "social portrait" of a police officer. It is determined that an image is a subjective perception of an object, and a social portrait is its objective characteristic. Despite these differences, common features of these categories are also proposed. Firstly, the image and social portrait are collective in nature, they are characterized by a mass consciousness, not an individual one. Secondly, image and social portrait have a communicative nature. Thirdly, the image and social portrait depend on the cultural and historical cycle. The methodological basis of the research is general scientific methods: analysis, generalization, comparison. In this understanding, the correlation between the concepts of "image" and "social portrait" of a police officer is interesting. The author draws attention to the fact that creating a positive image of a police officer is impossible without studying public opinion, which is a tool that can identify the main ways to optimize the image of police officers. In the article, the author draws attention to such a concept as "self-image". It is important for a police officer to realize the need to engage in self-development, to learn his strengths and weaknesses. It is determined that for a complete and specific picture concerning the image of a police officer, the unity of three key terms is necessary: "image", "social portrait" and "self-image". This approach may have practical significance in studying the image of a police officer, helping to answer questions: social perceptions of the employee, whether the employee meets the requirements, whether the employee himself strives for the ideal.