NCJ Number
171261
Journal
Policing Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: (1997) Pages: 374-391
Date Published
1997
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This article provides a workable distinction between themes embedded in community policing, uses highlights from the careers of police leaders as a heuristic tool to illustrate contradictions in policing theory and practice, and presents a case study of community policing in Oakland, California.
Abstract
Community policing has been touted as a cost-effective approach in an environment where police resources are scarce and as a way to reduce calls for police service since community policing is proactive rather than reactive. Even with community policing, however, police officers tend to use their own behavioral styles and define their own missions, and citizens tend to limit their conceptualization of community policing. Further, innovation and citizen involvement do not guarantee the success of community policing, as indicated in the experiences of police leaders in Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Berkeley, California. The analysis of Oakland, California, shows the city is an ideal environment for community policing because city leaders, police officers, and the general public have a strong desire to make community policing work. To ensure the effective implementation of community policing in Oakland and other cities, the authors emphasize the importance of reconciling community policing theory and practice. 52 references, 1 note, and 1 table