NCJ Number
169113
Date Published
1997
Length
87 pages
Annotation
This manual contains advice on how to adopt or expand community oriented policing.
Abstract
The manual is based largely in the experiences of six North Carolina law enforcement agencies and is drawn from an 18-month study of the programs in their communities. The document discusses: (1) three essential concepts that distinguish community oriented policing (COP) from traditional policing: responsibility shared between police and community; prevention and problem-solving orientation; and officer discretion; (2) compelling reasons to institute COP; (3) evidence that COP works; (4) how to build support for COP; (5) how to design and implement a COP program that is right for a specific community; (6) training required and where to get it; and (7) how to evaluate the effectiveness of a COP program. The manual emphasizes that COP is not just a program or a set of activities. It is a basic philosophical approach to policing. Adoption of COP must begin with a reconsideration of the police department's basic mission and specific activities needed to fulfill that mission, as well as fundamental changes in the attitudes and behaviors of all department employees. Figures, notes, references, appendixes