MODEL ACADEMIC CURRICULUM

MODULE 2
Community Policing

Module 2 Topics
History of Community Policing
Community Policing
Problem-Oriented Policing and
Community-Oriented Policing
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History of
Community Policing
An outgrowth of two major forces in the
1960s:
Concerns about rising crime rates and
The national civil rights movement

These movements lead to increased

attention and funding for research and policy
development
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History of
Community Policing
Also in the 1960s, a due process
revolution was also occurring and the
country was demanding:
improved police-community relations;
increased education for officers;
diversity in the ranks, and;
controls on police discrimination.
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History of
Community Policing
Research
Congress allocated monies for research, which
produced the;
Kansas City Preventive Patrol Study
Rand Investigation Experiment.

Response time studies suggested that police

rarely respond to crimes in progress
Evidence from these studies indicated that police
were limited in their ability to affect crime levels 5

History of
Community Policing
Implications of the Research Findings
Increased interest in how to best involve
citizens in the crime problem/solution
Increased experimentation on methods for
preventing crime, including a number of
studies on the impact of foot patrol.
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What is Community Policing?

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 engagement,
and partnerships.
The community policing model balances reactive
responses to calls for service with proactive problemsolving centered on the causes of crime and disorder.
Community policing requires police and citizens to join
together as partners.
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Some Core Elements of

Community Policing

COMMUNITY POLICING
Community Policing Definition
Community Policing Elements

Community Partnerships

Problem Solving

Organizational Transformation

Collaborative partnerships between the law

enforcement agency and the individuals
and organizations that serve or include
anyone with a stake in the community.

The process and effect of problem solving

should be assessed at each stage of the
problem solving process.

1. Agency management
Leadership
Decision-making
Planning and Policies
Organizational evaluations
Agency Accountability
Transparency
2. Organizational structure
Geographic assignment of
officers
De-specialization
Flatten organizational structure
Resources and finances
3. Personnel
Recruitment, hiring and
selection
Personnel evaluation and
supervision
Training
4. Technology/information systems
Communication/Access to Data
Quality and Accuracy of Data

1. Agency has multi-disciplinary

partnerships with indicated community
partners, including other government
agencies, non-profit and community
groups, businesses, the media, and
individuals.
2. Existing partnerships bring
appropriate resources and level of
commitment to community policing
activities.
3. Level of interaction between law
enforcement agency and community
partners: communication,
coordination, or collaboration.

1. General Problem Solving Approach

2. Problem Solving Processes
Scanning
Analysis
Response
Assessment
3. General Skill in Problem Solving

Other Ways of Defining

Community Policing

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Organizational Elements
1.

CP Philosophy is Adopted Throughout the

Organization

2.

Decentralized Decision-Making and Accountability

3.

Fixed Geographic Accountability and Generalist

Responsibilities

4.

Utilization of Volunteer Resources/Services

5.

Enhancers
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Tactical Elements
1. Enforcement of Laws
2. Proactive, Crime Prevention Oriented
3. Problem-solving

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External Elements
1. Public Involvement in Community
Partnerships
2. Government and Other Agency
Partnerships

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Philosophical Dimension
Citizen Input - Police agencies need extensive
input from citizens on problems, priorities,
policies, etc.
Broad Function - Policing is a broad function - it
is much more than just law enforcement.
Personal Service - Policing works best when
officers know citizens and deliver personalized
service - the opposite of stranger policing.
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Strategic Dimension
Re-Oriented Operations - Police look beyond traditional
strategies of routine patrol, rapid response, and detective
investigations and utilize proactive strategies and tactics.
Prevention Emphasis - Whenever possible, police
should emphasize preventing crime rather than simply
reacting after the fact.
Geographic Focus - Policing should be organized and
deployed to maximize the extent of identification
between specific officers and specific neighborhoods.
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Tactical Dimension

Positive Interaction - Police should positively interact

with all segments of the community - especially since
the nature of police work guarantees that some
negative interaction is inevitable.

Partnerships - Police should partner with the

community to deal with crime/problems, including
collaborating with public and private agencies.

Problem Solving - Police and citizens should take

every opportunity to address the conditions that cause
incidents and crimes.
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Organizational Dimension
Structure - Police agencies should re-examine
their structures to assure that they support and
facilitate community policing.
Management - Police agencies should reexamine the way people are supervised and
managed to assure consistency with community
policing.
Information - Police agencies should re-examine
their information systems to make sure they
support and facilitate community policing.
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Variations in Community Policing

Community policing varies from one community to
the next.
Community policing in a large, metropolitan city
may be different than community policing in a
small, rural area.
Community policing is dynamic and it changes
with the community, crime rates, mobilization of
citizens, region of the country, and other social
and environmental factors.
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The 1994 Crime Act

Community Oriented Policing
Services (COPS)
COPS Mission - Advance the practice of
community policing to improve public safety.
Provided grants to hire and train community
policing professionals, improve technology, and
develop innovative strategies.
By 2005, COPS had invested $11.3 billion to add
118,768 community policing officers and deputies
to the our streets and schools
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Problem-Oriented
Policing and
Community-Oriented
Policing

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Selected Comparisons Between Problem-Oriented Policing

and Community Policing Principles
Principle

Problem-Oriented Policing

Community-Oriented Policing

Primary emphasis

Substantive social problems within police

mandate

Engaging the community in the policing

process

When police and community collaborate

Determined on a problem by problem basis

Always or nearly always

Emphasis on problem analysis

Highest priority given to thorough analysis

Encouraged, but less important than

community collaboration

Preference for responses

Strong preference that alternatives to

criminal law enforcement be explored

Preference for collaborative responses with

community

Role for police in organizing and

mobilizing community

Advocated only if warranted within the

context of the specific problem being
addressed

Emphasizes strong role for police

Importance of geographic
decentralization of police and continuity
of officer assignment to community

Preferred, but not essential

Essential

Degree to which police share decisionmaking authority with community

Strongly encourages input from community

while preserving ultimate decision-making
authority to police

Emphasizes sharing decision-making

authority with community

Emphasis on officer skills

Emphasizes intellectual and analytical skills

Emphasizes interpersonal skills

View of the role or mandate of police

Encourages broad, but not unlimited role

for police, stresses limited capacities of
police and guards against creating
unrealistic expectations of police

Encourages expansive role for police to

achieve ambitious social objectives

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POP and COP

Historically, many considered these two
concepts to be mutually exclusive.
Police leaders and academics tend to agree
that these concepts overlap in philosophy
and practice.
Bottom line Its not one or the other, its
one and the other
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