NCJ Number
144586
Date Published
1993
Length
151 pages
Annotation
This paper explores the potential for future issues, trends, and events to impact law enforcement services, and a model plan is presented to deal with the issue of community review of law enforcement services in California.
Abstract
In looking at community review of law enforcement services by the year 2000, the paper evaluates possible ways of facilitating positive relationships between communities and their law enforcement organizations and notes possible issues, trends, and events likely to affect these relationships. The analysis is based on four future issues: (1) community expectations regarding the review of law enforcement services; (2) whether law enforcement concerns over confidentiality of personnel information can be adequately addressed to allow for a community review mechanism; (3) whether nonlaw enforcement personnel can understand police concerns and issues; and (4) whether improvement in community perceptions about law enforcement services will occur with a community review mechanism. Trends expected to be relevant to law enforcement review by the year 2000 include public scrutiny of law enforcement, level of violent crime, national economy, level of civil disobedience, and amount of minority interest in law enforcement careers. Events identified as pertinent to law enforcement review include the passage of a State law prohibiting pursuits, the elimination of police officer standards and training, the occurrence of another Rodney King incident, a rash of hate crimes, and a mandated statewide system of police review commissions. Future issues, trends, and events are incorporated into a strategic management plan and a transition management plan to deal with the community review of law enforcement services. Appendixes provide supplemental information on the study methodology. References, tables, and figures