Core Components of Community Policing
Problem-solving
Community coming together to control crime
Concept of community
Crime control, prevention, pool resources
Police and community work together. 2 components: community partnership and problem solving
Stakeholders - local government officials, social agencies, schools, church group, business people, residents, and workers
Identify problems and ways to fix them
Does not take away police power it empowers community involvement
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Manageable “beat” geography for police patrol
Police officers are the point of contact: police cars, on foot, on bike, motorcycle, horseback
Promote positive communications
Increase trust reduce fear and crime
Every community is diverse in its make up
Patrol officers act as referees as well as law enforcers
Balance citizen concerns with personal rights
Establishing police trust in the community is essential
Community partnership
Core component 1
Mutual trust between police and community
Community encouraged to come forward with relevant crime information
Police officers participate in community/educational programs
Trust does not happen overnight, rather this is a long term goal in the community
Police must treat people with respect and sensitivity
Community partnership should be long term enduring and balanced.
No excuse of force or harm
Patrol officers should: visit and communicate with community businesses, residents, and civic and social groups
Problem-solving
Core component 2
Based on the assumption that “crime and disorder can be reduced in small geographic areas by carefully studying the characteristics of problems in the area and then applying the appropriate resources”.....
Underlining characteristics create problems
Characteristics of people
physical enviornment
Determining the underlining problems of a crime depends on the knowledge of the community
Social setting
Community participation in identifying the problem and setting priorities will contribute to problem-solving efforts by community and police
Examplesof bandoned cars
Police paid attention to abandoned cars once the community identified abandoned cars as a concern
Community happy
Police paid less attention to other areas while focusing on abandoned cars
There are as many solutions as there are problems
Some are simple and others more complex
All levels of police participation should contribute to problem-solving: patrol officer, supervisor, chief, captain
Implications for Management and the Organizational structure
Patrol officer must have the ability to deliver services to the community
Under community policing, the command is no longer centralized and many decisions now come from the bottom up instead of the top down.
A shift in police structure to identify the power and need at the patrol officer level
Values: the guiding principals
Positive for community relations
Essential for patrol officers to remain in their current neighborhood to promote trust
Community policing is about the change in values that are needed to adapt policing to these changing times
Values: the beliefs that guide an organization and the performance of its employees
A mission statement defines beliefs in values for both internal workers and those in community
The police mission statement should be clearly defined to generate public support and identify accountability
Community policing links values to behaviors