NCJ Number
158087
Journal
University of Dayton Law Review Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: (Winter 1995) Pages: 745-749
Date Published
1995
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article examines the impact that the funding for 100,000 additional police officers can have for crime control under the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.
Abstract
The 1994 Crime Act provides a Federal incentive for cities to change the way they are policed, especially in the inner cities. Additional officers are the vehicle for replacing ineffective policing methods with productive strategies. The success of this crime act should be measured by the extent of change from the old police-dominated approach to the strategy of community policing, which can forge a partnership between community residents and their own neighborhood officers to reduce crime. Police motorized patrolling with minimal citizen interaction cannot achieve crime control. In addition to sending money to subsidize police hiring, the U.S. Justice Department can foster community policing strategies through technical assistance, research, and dissemination components. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 reverses course. It properly prioritizes violence and recognizes that the solution must come from the people and that the police, not Federal law enforcement, can mobilize the people. It recognizes the responsibility of the Federal Government to assist the police and provide the research, knowledge, and exchange of ideas they need. It provides the Justice Department with an unprecedented opportunity to upgrade the police service to empower the people to reduce crime.