<p>The theory of representative bureaucracy posits that the demographic reflection of disadvantaged societal groups within public institutions facilitates the substantive advocacy of their interests in policy outputs, thereby ensuring more equitable resource distribution and enhancing the perceived legitimacy of the state among those populations. This study presents a systematic literature review of representative bureaucracy in policing, analyzing 160 empirical studies from 1987 to 2025. The findings identify 2017 as a critical scholarly inflection point, driven by global scrutiny of police violence. The research confirms that representation substantively reduces the police misconduct and highlights that organizational socialization and rigid bureaucratic paradigms often attenuate the efficacy of diversity initiatives. The study concludes that achieving democratic accountability requires a transition to active representation, facilitated by a fundamental transformation of institutional culture and the equitable integration of representative cohorts. This synthesis provides a comprehensive roadmap for future research and policy interventions in police forces.</p>