NCJ Number
167232
Journal
Crime & Delinquency Volume: 43 Issue: 3 Dated: (July 1997) Pages: 345-357
Date Published
1997
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Data were obtained from a national survey of police departments to explore the progression of American policing from a traditional orientation to a community policing model.
Abstract
One primary and two supplemental sources of data were used in the analysis. The primary source was a national survey of police administrators conducted by the Division of Governmental Studies and Services at Washington State University. The sample consisted of 281 municipal police departments in 47 States; 228 of the 281 police departments returned completed survey questionnaires for a response rate of 81 percent. This data set was supplemented with population data from the 1990 U.S. Census and 1992 Uniform Crime Reports. Police functions were measured by responses to Wilson's list of 16 police activities related to crime control, order maintenance, and services. Variables of interest included city size, geographic region, and level of serious crime in the community. Despite widespread support for the idea of community policing and its service-centered orientation, findings suggested crime control remained the primary mission of most police departments. Policing priorities were largely independent of the influence of the police department's external environment. The authors conclude the transition of police departments from a traditional model to a community policing model is moving at an evolutionary rather than at a revolutionary pace in most jurisdictions. Supplemental data on the relation between policing priorities and city size are appended. 39 references, 6 notes, and 4 tables