NCJ Number
181387
Date Published
1998
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Community policing is examined with respect to its nature, the feasibility of implementing it as planned, its likely impact, and whether it should become the prevailing paradigm for policing.
Abstract
Team policing was one of the earliest efforts to redefine police practices in terms of a community orientation. However, attempts to implement it generally failed. Plans for narrowing the schism between the police and the community were repackaged under the rubric of community policing in the 1980's, when team policing was mostly forgotten. Much debate in police and academic circles has focused on the proper definition of community policing. The practice of community policing often diverges from the expectations of criminal justice scholars and progressive police chiefs. Community policing takes many forms. Its most popular and widely implemented component is probably foot patrol. Both internal and external factors have limited the implementation of community policing. Evaluations have focused on foot patrol, neighborhood ministrations and community centers, police organizing and outreach strategies, and problem-oriented policing demonstrations. Determining the effectiveness of community policing is difficult, because community policing programs are rarely implemented as planned and are almost never implemented on a large scale. Nevertheless, the literature suggested that community policing programs can have some positive effects on the community's perceptions and feelings about crime, disorder, and police. Research has also revealed favorable impacts of police reform on police personnel. 48 references