NCJ Number
99245
Date Published
1985
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The development of community-oriented policing requires an assessment of the existing program, educating the department about reform plans, identifying sources of community support, and tailoring policing to community needs.
Abstract
Community-oriented policing carries the benefits of increased citizen support, improved officer morale, and expanded resources. The development of such policing requires an assessment of existing departmental policy and programs to determine their deficiencies in facilitating community-oriented policing. Personnel should be educated about the rationale for and benefits of proposed reforms, and community support sources must be identified. Support groups should be selected based on their interest in community betterment, regardless of their past attitudes toward police. Once a supportive community power structure begins cooperating with the police, the next task is tailoring police operations to diverse community needs. This involves adapting policing policies and enforcement styles to the needs and character of each neighborhood, with particular attention to ethnic and cultural differences. The chief can set the tone for community-oriented policing by public pronouncements and actions that indicate the department is committed to serving the community. In the course of soliciting community support, however, the police must set parameters for citizen involvement in crime control so as to prevent the emergence of vigilantism and maintain professional control of policing.