NCJ Number
204636
Date Published
April 2001
Length
33 pages
Annotation
This report presents the results of a survey on the implementation of community-oriented policing in cities throughout the United States.
Abstract
Since its creation in 1994, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) has been advancing community policing nationwide. The COPS mission includes the provision of grant funds to enable police agencies to acquire new technologies and equipment, to add 100,000 community policing officers to local law enforcement ranks, and to encourage innovative approaches to fighting crime. In January 2000, the Conference of Mayors surveyed more than 1,000 mayors throughout the United States on issues concerning community policing in their jurisdictions. Specifically, the survey collected data on the number of years community policing has been in place; whether community policing initiatives are city-wide or target specific localities; whether community policing is an agency-wide initiative or is specific to one department; how COPS grant funds have been spent; and how community oriented policing has influenced city government operations. Responses from 281 cities make up the data in this report. Following a description of the survey and a brief summary of the findings, the report is divided into two main sections of findings: influence of community-oriented approach and significant accomplishments. Findings are offered in narrative form and are provided by city. On average, in surveyed cities, community policing practices have been employed for 7.7 years. Only 15 percent of police agencies limit community policing practices to specific localities; most reported practicing community policing city-wide. Similarly, only 26 percent of the respondents limited community policing initiatives to specific divisions of the police agency. Nearly 96 percent of agencies surveyed received COPS grants; 89 percent used the grant money to hire officers, 61 percent upgraded technology, 58 percent redeployed existing officers in community policing, and 39 percent used the grant to target specific community problems. Finally, 77 percent of respondents reported that community-oriented policing approaches had influenced service delivery by other government sectors and 76 percent reported that the community-oriented approach influenced government operations overall. Appendix