NCJ Number
181872
Date Published
1999
Length
0 pages
Annotation
This teleconference includes a panel discussion and answers to audience questions about two issues: whether community policing has served as an effective delivery model to meet the needs of police agencies and communities today and the extent to which police agencies have embraced community policing.
Abstract
The panel also addresses challenges confronting law enforcement and suggests ways for police agencies to meet these challenges and become a catalyst for improvements in the criminal justice system. The panelists include police and municipal officials and the director of a community crime prevention agency. The speakers noted that the use of community policing is widespread among police agencies of all sizes in the United States and elsewhere. They also noted that its components vary by community and that no national model exists that could meet the needs of all types of communities. Concepts include problem solving, partnerships, and empowerment, based on active efforts by the police to reach out to the community, understand community needs, and strengthen community capacities in crime prevention and crime control. Studies have indicated that the benefits of these efforts include increased citizen satisfaction with the police and reduced fear of crime. Challenging issues include increasing population diversity, political influences, and the role of the mass media. Speakers advised other police agencies to understand that change is a constant phenomenon and that police agencies need to change, that community policing needs to be integral to the internal organizational culture, and that training is crucial. Source of further information