Community Policing

Community Policing

By the late 1970's, resulted from massive immigrants, the communities

within America had become a diverse pool of nationalities,

subcultures, and attitudes (Barlow 1996, p.651). People often

identified themselves as parts of separate groups and at times the

police was not part of what they called "us”. During this time, a

burst of new ideas and changes in the political and economic structure

began to occur that would eventually bring about a new kind of police

officer.

In this changing environment, police leaders felt the need to reflect

on these problems and their overall image with the public. In their

attempts to understand what was going wrong, many studies and

experiments were sponsored. One of them, the Kansas Study proved that,

no matter how many police officers are devoted to random patrolling,

there is no effect on the actual crime rate. (Bureau of justice asst.

pg. 13-65)

The government had recognized the problems of crime fighting and the

problems of police and community relations as far back as 1967.

However, it took years later for that idea of a "new kind of police

officer" to develop and this has provided a whole new model for

policing. Its an evolutionary philosophy that attempts to refocus the

essence of policing that tries to do two things: first bring police

officers and citizens together in neighborhoods, second give the

police responsibility for solving problems in the community (Allender

2004). This new policing ideal incorporates into two elements:

community partnership and problem solving. These two elements are the

cores of the policing strategy for the future of large communities

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...ot responding to symptom, and involving customer in setting

priorities (Carter 1999, p. 212).

References

1). Allender D., Community Policing Exploring the Philosophy, Mar

2004, Vol. 73, Issue 3. (Academic Search Premier).

2). Barlow E., Barlow M. 1999, Policing: An international Journal of

Police Strategies & Management, Vol. 22 No. 4, 1999, pp. 646-674. MCB

University Press, 1363-9511x.

3). Bureau of justice assistance Publication: Understanding community

policing " Aug

1994 Chapter 3 Pg 13,15

.

4). Goldstein H., Improving Policing: A Problem-Oriented Approach,

Crime and Delinquency, pp. 254-274. Copyright 1979 Sage Publication.

5). Sewell J., Controversial Issues in Policing. Community Policing:

A more Efficacious Police Response of Simply Inflated Promises, D.

Carter 1999, pp. 206-221.