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COMMUNITY POLICING.
Term Paper ID:25119
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Essay Subject:
Definition, purpose, advantages, examples, training, organization.... More...
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11 Pages / 2475 Words
8 sources, 15 Citations,
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Paper Abstract:
Definition, purpose, advantages, examples, training, organization.
Paper Introduction:
INTRODUCTION
Community policing is a program being instituted in more and more police departments across the country, and it requires special training for the officers if it is to be effective. Community Policing is a program that links the actions of the police with citizen participation. This is part of an overall effort to solve the problems of the community by involving the community. Among the features of such a program are integrated investigations, team and neighborhood rather than a shift and divisional basis for officer deployment, foot patrols, and community service as a focus along with problem-oriented policing instead of mere crime-fighting. Programs of this sort mean a different structure for the police as well as altered functions, allocations of resources, and general attitude. This can be a
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Other steps are to solicit communityopinions, build trust, foster relationships, participate in communitygroups, and develop programs that allow citizens to assist actively inpolicing responsibilities. "Buyer Beware: community Policing Is Not a 'One-Size Fits- All' Strategy." Nation's Cities Weekly (June 13, 1994), 7-8.Breci, Michael G. "Community Policing." CQ Researcher (February 5, 1993), 99-115.----------------------- 1 . The West Point training program develops certain skills andmodes of systems thought, and it begins with what is called theIntellectual Procedure, a decision-making model, which teaches managers toidentify what is happening in a specific situation, account for it, anddevise actions that respond to the situation or anticipate what will occurnext. Beneficial factors mayinclude extended family situations, availability of apprentice-type jobs,social cohesion, stability in housing arrangements, or the presence ofstrong neighborhood groups. The leadership in Los Angeles has developed a community policingsystem to the degree possible, given the size of the territory to becovered, the relatively small police force compared to other large cities,and specific neighborhood concerns. Even in areas where there is a COP structure, agencyadministrators rarely meet with community residents to identify commongoals or to strategize about how to cooperate in a common endeavor.Another difficulty is found in the need to approach unfriendly ordistrustful community groups to join in the decision-making process.However, it is clear that forming lasting relationships among keygovernment leaders, police departments, and community groups across thecountry would have a substantial impact on public safety issues. Now we can plug in the technical assistance and training that support the conceptual framework ("Community Policing Exchange"). The course then turns to different systems: ? Brewer, a colonel in the U.S. ? LOS ANGELES Some cities have been given greater impetus than others to institutecommunity policing, and Los Angeles is one such case. In this way,police work becomes comprehensive, problem solving, and proactive (Fishbein1). . (Christopher and Arguelles 134).One year later, an independent analysis of the Los Angeles riots stated, The chief of police [should] make it a high priority to improve the training, experience and leadership skills of the command staff level of the department (Webster and Williams 182-183). Fishbeinnotes that the community represents a major, often-untapped crimeprevention resource and that residents can provide an essentialinformation base greater than that of police departments alone. NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT Community policing was adopted in New Haven because of a crimeproblem plaguing the city. The approach also calls attention to the degree to which thepolice are dependent on the public for support, information, andcooperation. Otherswelcomed the new system and adapted, though more might have done so withbetter training (Worsnop 1 2). Events including theRodney King incident in 1991 and the Los Angeles riots in 1992 focusedworldwide attention on the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and calledinto question the department's training and leadership. Among the features of such a program areintegrated investigations, team and neighborhood rather than a shift anddivisional basis for officer deployment, foot patrols, and communityservice as a focus along with problem-oriented policing instead of merecrime-fighting. They receive the skills training needed to make decisions, manage human emotions, and achieve results. CONCLUSION The community policing strategy has been undertaken in the face ofrising crime statistics and citizen complaints about a police force that istoo disengaged from the public it serves. DEVELOPING COMMUNITY POLICING Fishbein discusses the comprehensive care model and the way it can beapplied in developing a community policing program, beginning with the factthat the hallmark of the comprehensive care model is community engagement.The first step is for police administrators first to accept and support theidea that community members have a potential role in police activities.This may also require redesigning department infrastructures, trainingsystems, evaluation methods, and strategic planning activities toaccommodate community input. In 1993, West Point hosted a faculty development workshop for the NewJersey Association of Chiefs of Police to teach the leadership principlesand methods of instruction, and the curriculum of West Point was at firstmodified by the New Jersey personnel and officially became known as theWest Point Leadership and Command Program (WPLCP). Dick Ward of the BJA notes that many officers join the police becausethey view the department as a paramilitary organization, and such officersresent any organizational changes. This begins with the acquisition of a list of registeredorganizations and groups from a state or local corporations commission,city hall, or the courthouse. http://ncjrs.org/txtfiles/cpe 395.txtDinse, Charles F. Training begins with the higher-ups who must implement the program, and training for line officers mustenlist their full participation by changing attitudes toward the job andthe relationship between officer and public. "Competence and Character: Developing Leaders in the LAPD." The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 67 (January 1, 1998), 18-23.Fishbein, Diana. This includes suchinformation as racial composition; children living under the povertylevel; the homeless, elderly, and gay populations; gang membership; publichousing residents; and other relevant features. Report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department. Community policing is part of the push for partnerships between localgovernment, police, schools, and community groups as a means to preventcrime. The community policing method is proactive rather thanresponsive. BJA ConsortiumExecutive Director Stephen Gaffigan says, We want this to work and will do whatever it takes. This can be a challenge to traditional police departmentstructures because the traditional method is to respond to citizen demandrather than to try to ascertain the underlying forces creating patterns ofproblems. One concern is that there is no clear definition of community policing sothat questions are raised as to whether new programs fit a communitypolicing model: For some agencies, it represents a philosophy, while for others, it describes activities and programs. The West Point training has helped bymaking the leadership more open to closer ties with the community and tousing ideas such as Neighborhood Watch. ? Just as there are different definitions for community policing, so isthere no consensus on what training for community policing should entail.Because of this, the U.S. The department next must conduct a needs assessment to identify themost pressing problems in the community, the perceived obstacles andtensions found there, and the proposed resolutions and strategies. However, the move to communitypolicing in Los Angeles did not proceeded smoothly under Chief WillieWilliams (since replaced), and an attempt to expand the number of police inthe city was rejected by voters (Worsnop 112). In January 1996,LAPD trained 3 employees assigned to various supervisory and executivepositions, training them to become WPLCP instructors. Through this assessment, police and other agencies become intimately familiar with the community. Training may be necessaryfor older officers who resent change, and in New Haven, many officersresigned during the first year of the program for this reason. Community Policing is a programthat links the actions of the police with citizen participation. The department had been following a "reactive"form of policing, one which focused on responding to emergency calls, andthe department now turned to a "proactive" approach designed to eliminatethe underlying causes of crime: The key to this effort . The general view of community policing, or the Community OrientedPolice (COP) program, is seen in this description of the program institutedin Pittsburgh: The COP philosophy centers around improving the relationship between the city's police department and members of the individual communities and neighborhoods they serve ("Community Police Training Mandated" PG).To this end, special training is mandated for police officers andmanagement personnel alike. is forging closer ties between residents and police. The approach involves creating astronger connection between police and public and enlisting the activeparticipation of the public in policing. The assessment will also include aninventory of community strengths to be used. The IndependentCommission on the Los Angeles Police Department (also known as theChristopher Commission) stated, Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains are expected to be leaders as well as administrators and should therefore receive formal leadership training. Military Academy is an institution ofhigher learning with a curriculum delivers a solid education in psychology,sociology, and the behavioral sciences and seeks to instill the values ofduty, honor, and country: West Point graduates know how to motivate soldiers to overcome malaise, build cohesion, and train constantly to achieve excellence. ? Fishbein notes that once the infrastructure is ready to supportcommunity involvement, the police department must identify those communityorganizations that reflect the varied interests and concerns in thejurisdiction. Given the problem of defining community policing, it is not surprising that critics have questioned whether the law enforcement community seriously has embraced community policing (Breci and Erickson 16). The Leadership System Since individuals and groups typically take their cues from theleader, the focus here is on the leader's performance and considers theconcept of influence. We want to hear BJA believed that if the largest professional organizations could get together, everybody might eventually start reading off the same sheet of music. The training in this program is primarily geared to developing aleadership structure capable of solving problems in new ways. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Actof 1994 provides funding for 1 , new police officers and has alsomotivated many police departments to create programs encompassing variouselements of community policing in an attempt to receive additional funding. "Community Policing: the process of transitional change." The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 67 (June 1, 1998), 16-21.Christopher, Warren and John Arguelles. In Pittsburgh, as in most cities, the programaffects only a percentage of the total department, involves the creation ofministations in different neighborhoods, and the involvement of differentelements of the community. The City in Crisis: A Report on the Civil Disorders in Los Angeles. For theirpart, the police may act as catalysts to cause the necessary resources toact on specific, community-identified public safety problems. Community policing has been highly effective in New Haven, whereefficient deployment of manpower is emphasized. GROWTH OF COMMUNITY POLICING Community policing has been adopted by police agencies across thecountry, and according to a national survey of police departments in areaswith a population of more than 5 , , over one-half of the agencies haveimplemented community policing while an additional 2 percent indicatedthey planned to do so. . Los Angeles: City of Los Angeles, 1992.Worsnop, Richard L. Theassessment will include input from the groups selected, the departmentstaff, the mayor, school administrators, youth leaders, and othercommunity leaders and members. INTRODUCTION Community policing is a program being instituted in more and morepolice departments across the country, and it requires special training forthe officers if it is to be effective. Training methods are indevelopment based on ongoing analyses of current programs in a wide varietyof cities. Programs of this sort mean a different structure for thepolice as well as altered functions, allocations of resources, and generalattitude. The Individual System Here, the course emphasizes that leadership is the process ofinfluencing human behavior in order to accomplish organizational goals,with an emphasis on the leader's responsibility to be mindful of theemotional and human needs of subordinates. To make contact with residents easier, the substations are equipped with telephone answering machines and the police officers with beepers (Worsnop 99). Brewer approached the Departmentof Behavioral Science and Leadership for assistance in developing qualityinstruction for the LAPD. We started with a theoretical model that scared everybody, went to a prototype, and finally developed a framework that effectively describes the umbrella concept. and Kathleen Sheehan. . This way, officers do not start from scratch; they can tap into existing resources, no matter how high risk the neighborhood appears. Fishbein notes, This prevention framework, or asset-based strategy, defines both risk and protective factors in a target area in order to direct the problem-solving capacities of relevant players. The U.S. One important issue is how the idealcommunity policing officer will be recruited and trained. Works CitedBaker, Denise. Similarly, today's police leaders must be well educated so they can wield the challenging concepts and strategies of community policing, empowerment, problem solving, strategic planning, and joint decision making (Dinse and Sheehan 19). This ispart of an overall effort to solve the problems of the community byinvolving the community. Mid-levelmanagers tend to have difficulty because they must relinquish some controlof officers, but training, time, and success should facilitateunderstanding ("Community Policing Exchange"). The Organizational System This section examines the concept and responsibilities of indirectleadership (Dinse and Sheehan 19-23). Sergeants and lower-ranking officers are assigned long-term to one of the 12 neighborhood substations established under [Chief] Pastore. and Timothy E. It hasapplication to community policing in that there is a need for developingnew interactions and means of cooperation between the police and thecommunity, which also means opening the minds of management toalternatives. The next step would be to obtain a completedescription of the community from official records. Police Commissioner Jesse A. ArmyReserve, decided to try something different in 1992 and decided to turn tothe most effective leadership training institution he knew, the U.S.Military Academy at West Point, New York. July 9, 1991."Community Policing Exchange" (March/April 1995). Erickson. Matching this informationwith the list of organizations will produce the names of groupsrepresenting the community and including a complete range of interests. They have the knowledge at hand to engage community leaders and solve prevailing public safety problems (Fishbein 3-5). In 1994, five membersof the LAPD participated in the program, and when they returned from WestPoint, they further revised the program's training scenarios and computer-assisted instruction to fit contemporary policing issues. Department of Justice, the parent organization ofthe Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the partners in the BJA consortiumhave determined that various definitions must be set and training methodsformed, testing to find what works and what does not over a wide range ofcommunity policing programs. How such efforts are made has been the subject of much study asdifferent jurisdictions struggle with how to coordinate such acomprehensive effort. The Group System This section is based on the fact that groups of people develop andexhibit behavior patterns that go far beyond the characteristics of theindividuals alone, and here the training stresses that effective leadersmust be able to pull together individuals of diverse backgrounds,personalities, abilities, training, and experience to develop a cohesive,high-performing team. DEVELOPING TRAINING Baker points out that community policing is not a "one size fits all"approach and that different methods may be needed in different localities.Many cities operate under grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance(BJA), but how this money is spent, how the program is developed, and whattraining is given will vary from place to place (Baker 7). As with most endeavors, communication is crucial to success. In those departments which try toinstitute community policing as a separate program, participating officersare looked down on by their peers until problems get solved, and anyeffective community policing needs the participation of the rank and file.In addition, it is vital to train all organizational levels. "The comprehensive care model." The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin 67 (May 1, 1998), 1-5.Webster, William and Hubert Williams. The idea behind the Community Policing Consortium was to establish some fundamental definitions. The intensivefifteen-week training program started later that year (Dinse and Sheehan 19-2 ).
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