Community in Community Policing: The Key to Success is the Police and Community Partnerships (From Policing and Community Partnerships, P 177-185, 2000, Dennis J. Stevens, ed., -- See NCJ-194083)

• NCJ Number: 194094
• Author(s): M. L. Dantzker
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 9 pages
• Sale Source: Prentice Hall Publishing
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Legislation/Policy Analysis
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter summarizes the previous chapters of the book and discusses conclusions regarding community policing.

Abstract

Community policing appears to be improving the problems leading to resident criticism of the police, such as lack of citizen input, poor police-citizen interaction, and rising crime rates. Community policing seems to be providing a variety of potential benefits to communities, such as an active voice in problem solving, improved police-citizen interactions, and a better understanding of what the police are doing leading to enhanced police accountability. Because of early reports of a number of positive experiences community policing apparently has produced for both police and communities and the funding available from the Federal Government, an increasing number of police agencies seem to be looking toward community policing as an answer to their communities’ problems. The lessons learned from the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) are that community support must be won; effective community involvement depends on an organized community; training is as critical for the community as it is for the police; and there is a real risk of inequitable outcomes. The issue of creating community partnerships in affluent communities was addressed, along with the roadblocks that include racism and the media myth. Preparing the community for community policing begins with getting employees to buy-in the idea, training, information and information technology, and advocating new tools and tactics. To expand the community’s role in this, tools such as the media and citizen training are essential. The Comprehensive Communities Program (CCP) provides activities that include community policing, alternatives to incarceration, drug court, conflict resolution, diversion, and Boys and Girls’ clubs. Measuring community policing performance became more valuable to the officers of the Madison (Wisconsin) Police Department when they conducted their own survey. National efforts are underway that include the youth in a community policing approach, such as the Youth Crime Watch of American (YCWA). The investigative function and leadership characteristics were assessed in efforts to get police personnel more involved in the community policing effort. 42 references