NCJ Number
180968
Journal
Journal of Quantitative Criminology Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: September 1999 Pages: 333-372
Date Published
September 1999
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This paper examines the relationship of community policing to internal affairs division complaints about officer conduct.
Abstract
Between 1982 and 1989, the Houston Police Department was committed to forming partnerships with the community as part of its strategy to improve police service to the city. Complaint data from the Internal Affairs Division of the Department disclosed that officers assigned to areas of the city that implemented community policing received significantly fewer complaints than officers working in other areas. An exception was complaints for criminal behavior, which increased. These results support the argument that interactions between citizens and officers reduce dissatisfaction, as officers learn to be more responsive to citizens’ demands and to avoid being abusive. However, it should be emphasized that the Houston Police Department community policing philosophy focused on building partnerships with the community. Departments that interpret community policing as aggressive order maintenance or zero tolerance of minor crime may have different results. Those approaches have been found to create more antagonistic relationships in which citizens perceive police activities as those of an occupying army. Tables, notes, figure, appendix, references