AJ 58- Community and Human Relations

Chapter 1 –

The Idea of

Community Policing

The Idea of Community Policing

Traditional “Professional” Model of policing – Police aloof and detached from citizenry– Avoid political corruption and intervention

Modern Community Policing Model– Broadens police mission to address community concerns– Empowers community to have a voice– Demands cooperation

Law Enforcement is part of, not separate from, Community

Community Policing Officer (CPO)

Must work closely with people and specific community problems

Consistently work within a specific geographical beat

– Advantages?

Consider arrest as merely one of many options to solve problems

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994)

Provided guidelines and funding for more than 100,000 CPO’s nationwide

Over 80% of Law Enforcement agencies now subscribe to philosophy of Community Policing

Becoming more institutionalized and publicly understood

Sources of Confusion

Long, complicated process

Cover for aggressive tactics

False claims of implementation

Adopted language, not put into practice

Threatens traditional LE status quo

Unfulfilled public expectations

Confusion with Problem-Oriented Policing

Philosophical Facet

LE success – Traditionally based on quantitative output

Citations, arrests, recovered property, response time, etc.

Community Policing calls for philosophical change towards community-based elements

Broad Police Function

LE and citizens must work together to identify and solve community problems– Allow citizens to help set priorities

New focus on proactive vs. reactive response to problems

Focus on reducing fear and maintaining order in a healthy community– Fear of crime can be worse than crime itself– Get citizens actively involved

Effects of Arrest on Crime

What causes crime?– Socio-economic conditions and public policy

Arrests alone do not stop crime! Crime affected through control of social

conditions and public policy Most LE calls for service are not crime-related!

Citizen Input

How?– Surveys– Town/neighborhood meetings– Minority/business group meetings

Why?– Evaluate effectiveness of LE programs– Gauge citizen behavior, expectations– Establish goals and priorities

Concern for Citizens

“Professional” Model of LE– Aloof and disinterested– Dragnet syndrome- “Just the facts, Ma’am”

Command respect & demand answers!

Community Policing Model– Concern for community problems– Concern for citizens’ physical and emotional

needs

Developing Trust

Information is the lifeblood of policing! Must have cooperation to get

information Must have trust to get cooperation Communication builds trust, therefore… Good communication with community

leads to successful policing!

Sharing Power

Focus on Community’s needs and desires as priority for Law Enforcement

Citizens help identify/solve community problems

May have to deal with “petty” concerns Encourage citizens to volunteer to help in

community

Creativity

Diverse community members may offer innovative approaches/solutions

Citizens become assessors of quality of police services– Not just based on quantitative statistics

Neighborhood Variation

Traditional perception/expectation of “fair and equal enforcement”

Reality?– Always some variation across communities and

neighborhoods

Community Policing recognizes the will of the community, not just LE agenda

– Allows for varying neighborhood standards Example: working on car in street

Organizational and Personnel Facet

Community Policing requires…– Philosophical shift in traditional thinking– Commitment to structural change

Decentralize organization to increase response to Community

Not just a single tactic to address one specific community problem

Roles of the CPO

Innovator– Creating new ways to solve old problems

Link– Policing with a human touch

Catalyst– Getting citizens involved

Mini-Chief– Having autonomy to solve local problems

Referral Specialist– Referring people to available community services

Geographic Focus and Ownership

Police activities traditionally focused on…– Time (shifts)– Tasks (assignments)

Success of Community Policing relies on geographical permanence– Officer becomes familiar with people, activities,

problems, needs– Area should be small enough for daily contact

Direct, Daily Face-to-Face Contact

Why?– Officers take responsibility (ownership) for what

occurs in their beats– People learn to trust and cooperate with familiar

officers– Accountability for successes and failures

How?– Various modes of transportation– Patrol car can be barrier to communication

Prevention Focus

Proactive vs. Reactive response Reduce victimization Identify problems, create solutions Attack problems likely to result in crime Referrals to welfare agencies Educational/Recreational programs

– Life-skills programs, PAL’s

Reorienting Police Operations

Traditional approach– Random, routine patrols– Does not necessarily deter crime

Community Policing approach– Identify problems/implement solutions– Tailor police services to community needs– Increase positive citizen contacts

Problem-Solving

Requires innovative thinking!!!

1. Identify the specific problem

2. Analyze the problem and its attributes

3. Identify possible solutions

4. Implement best solution and evaluate its effectiveness

Situational Crime Prevention

Directed at specific problem/situation

Long-term management/manipulation of immediate environment

Increase efforts/risks of criminal

Community Engagement

Community must take active role in self-protection!– Neighborhood Watch, Citizen Patrols, active reporting of

criminal/suspicious behavior, sports/educational activities, etc.

Police responsibility– Encourage/motivate community involvement– Identify citizen leaders– Partnerships with other government agencies– Departmental link to community, not just CPO’s

Criticisms of Community Policing

Can LE truly change its value systems and cultural norms?

Some aggressive tactics disguised as CP– Taking back the streets– “Broken Windows”, “Weed and Seed”– Zero-Tolerance enforcement

Does aggressive enforcement reduce crime?– Mixed statistical results– May lead to alienation of community and distrust

of police