NCJ Number
177096
Date Published
1999
Length
0 pages
Annotation
A five-member panel of police managers and community leaders discusses the concepts of community policing, the prevalence of its implementation, barriers to its implementation, its effectiveness, and the changes required in police agencies to institutionalize community policing.
Abstract
Panel members first define community policing as policing based in a network of governmental, police, and community agencies that identify and devise strategies for a joint effort to increase community safety and order. One panel member reviews the extent to which community policing is being implemented in police agencies, noting that Federal leadership and Federal grants have promoted community policing in agencies throughout the country. Not only is it spreading among U.S. police agencies, but also among police agencies in other countries. Another issue discussed by the panel is apathy at the line level as a barrier to community policing. Panel members note that apathy can be addressed through the training of front-line officers to perform the tasks of community policing and the provision of the tools to achieve the goals of community policing. Structures of reward and recognition in a police agency should also focus on incentives for quality performance in front-line community policing. Other subjects discussed by the panel include topics of training for community policing, criteria and methods for evaluating community policing, the selection of personnel for community policing, and change management. Telephone and audience questions and panel answers are included on the video.