Representations of the police in police research often resemble the descriptions of the proverbial blind men examining an elephant, each describing something completely different. A dominant and guiding question is usually whether the empirical results align with idealized notions of the police or not. Explanations are then sought for the resulting gap. The contributions in this volume go beyond this and position themselves between established stances that research "for," "about," or "against" the police. From theoretically and methodologically diverse perspectives, the discussion addresses how knowledge in police research is shaped by its social and specific scientific context and is anchored within it.