Chapter 1 - The Idea of Community Policing

Abstract

Community policing not only addresses community concerns, but it is a philosophy that turns traditional policing on its head by empowering the community rather than dictating to the community. Community policing rests on the belief that only by working together with people the police is able to improve quality of life. Community policing is a grassroots form of participation, rather than a representative top–down approach to address contemporary community life. It has taken a number of directions; there is a common overarching logic and structure to it. Four major facets occur when community policing is implemented: (1) the philosophical facet, (2) the organizational and personnel facet, (3) the strategic facet, and (4) the programmatic facet. All four facets must exist if a department is implementing community policing. Community policing represents a comprehensive attack on community problems. Community policing signals a time, whereby the police are concerned with people and their problems as opposed to focusing solely on responding to calls for service and making arrests. Community policing requires the police work as closely as possible with people to identify and solve their problems. Under Community policing, crime reduction and “crook-catching” are not primary objectives, but represent strategies that are a part of a rich, over-arching philosophy.