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Law Enforcement Executive Forum
Article Details
| Article |
Community-Oriented Policing
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| Page | 59 | Total Pages 6 | ||||
| Author(s) | Chief Dustin T. Sutton | |||||
| Issue | October 2004 | |||||
| Categories (Click a category to see similiar articles) |
Community Policing |
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| Abstract | Community policing focuses on crime and social disorder through the delivery of police services that includes aspects of traditional law enforcement, as well as prevention, problem solving, community interaction, and partnerships. The community-oriented policing model balances reactive responses to calls for service with proactive problem solving centered on the causes of crime and disorder. Community policing requires police and citizens to join together as partners in the course of both identifying and effectively addressing these issues. The events of the late 1960s and early 1970s resulted in new initiatives by many U.S. police agencies to improve the relationship between police and the community. As early as the 1970s, findings have suggested that individuals and neighborhood groups were capable of contributing significantly to the quality of life. Programs, such as neighborhood watch, home security, surveys, and personal safety training, emerged as useful crime prevention techniques. The 1980s saw a movement away from the team policing theory used in the 1970s. There was more of an emphasis on technical training with less stress being placed on public and police relations. The level of distrust between the public and the police was on a rise in many areas of the United States. The 1990s brought new problems for police administrators. They found themselves faced with greater demands on public service and demands to include the community in policy decisions. A resurrection of local residence taking care of their own problems arose, and community policing began. One of the primary goals of community policing is to enhance the cooperation between the police and the community. Community-oriented policing involves a partnership in which the police interact with the public they serve in an attempt to resolve the problems they are facing. This involves several key components: community relations, problem solving, management change, and crime prevention. Community policing has different meanings to different people. There are four dimensions to help identify community policing: (1) philosophy, (2) values, (3) tactical structure, and (4) organizational structure. The first dimension deals with the mind-set of patrol officers and how they view their duties and the role of the community. The second dimension represents more of an operational version of the departments philosophy. This focuses on redirecting its operations, geographic focus, and looking more toward crime prevention. This is a more proactive approach toward crime prevention. The third dimension addresses day-to-day operations. A community-oriented police agency will stand apart from the agency using the traditional approach when it begins to emphasize positive citizen interactions, police-community partnerships, and problem-solving activities. | |||||
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