The epistemic power of the police.

This article focuses on the concept of epistemic power as a critical but underexplored dimension of police power, defined as the police’s ability to control what is known and unknown about their practices. Using France as a case study, it identifies three main sources of this epistemic power: police control over the production and suppression of crime and policing data; the legal and social assumption that police officers are more credible than their targets; and the police’s privileged access to mainstream media. The article examines how activists and victims challenge this power through producing alternative evidence, counter-investigations, and media strategies to amplify marginalized voices, thereby disrupting police narratives and influencing public debate. It argues that understanding epistemic power is essential for analyzing both the maintenance of oppressive policing and the strategies required for effective resistance.