The Overlay Police Model

Police policy and procedure are the basis of organizational control, and ensure accountability or fair discipline. Transitioning the department from a semi-military structure to one of team policing, it is important to understand the positive outcomes and effectiveness of the original practice, and assess how the implementation of the new practice will show significant results for the community and adapt it to officers in the department. According to Community Policing and Lateral Career Paths article, "Community police work can challenge traditional views about ‘real’ and ‘satisfying’ police work that extend beyond the immediacy of crime control and responding to incidents"(Ramshaw, p.469, 2013). This is an important point as the lack of association between community policing and ‘real’ and industrious police work is a common finding. The huge difference of traditional policing and community oriented policing, is that in traditional practices, police officers responded after a crime occurred in the

The Community Policing era has been one of the contemporary police activities in the last 30 years. It is more of a decentralized approach to reducing crime by involving the same officer in the same community on a long term basis, so residents will develop trust and then provide information and assistance to the officer. Community Policing does not replace motorized patrol or other police tactics but instead compliments them with community partnership and problem solving (Bailey, 2011).

In 1994, the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) was created by the government with the objective to assist police agencies in strengthening public relations and safety through community oriented policing, also known as community policing (USDOJ, 2014). COPS defines community policing as, “a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime” (USDOJ, 2014). The organization breaks it down into three components: Community Partnerships, Organizational Transformation, and Problem Solving (USDOJ, 2014).

Plus, the concept of problem-oriented policing involves interaction with the public just as community policing does. So where is the difference? POP emphasizes on research more than any other aspect of policing. Not only is it a strategy, but it is also an approach to policing in which distinct parts of police business are subject to “microscopic examination” in hopes that what is learned about each problem will lead to discovering a new and more effective strategy for dealing with it (Goldstein, 2001). This all started in the late 1970’s (circa the beginning of community policing) when researchers, police professionals, and policymakers became interested in improving the efficiency of policing. Their research uncovered these findings: “(1) police deal with a range of community problems, many of which are not strictly criminal in nature, (2) arrest and prosecution alone—the traditional functions of the criminal justice system—do not always effectively resolve problems, (3) giving the officers, who have great insight into community problems, the discretion to design solutions is extremely valuable to solving the problems, (4) police can use a variety of methods to redress recurrent problems, and (5) the community values police involvement in non-criminal problems and recognizes the contribution the

The third and present day era of policing is Community Policing. Community policing is an organization-wide philosophy and management approach that promotes community, government and police partnerships; proactive problem solving; and community engagement to address the causes of crime, fear of crime and other community issues (Hess, Wrobleski pg. 10). Community policing goes beyond the traditional policing from the previous eras. Officers are assigned to designated areas, in which they get to know the citizens of the neighborhoods they are assigned. They use a more effective means of patrol such as foot patrol, and bicycle patrol. They do not just patrol around in vehicles, and respond to service calls. This goes back to one of Peel’s principles, “Police must secure the willing co-operation of the public in voluntary observance of the law to be able to secure and maintain the respect of the public. The police must obtain a more involved relationship with the citizen of a community in order for the community to help the police with their patrolling to deter crime.

There are multiple approaches to engaging a police force with the community in order to most effectively prevent and respond to crime, and considering the relative strengths and weakness of each of these strategic models will demonstrate how models can impact the operation of daily policing practices and activities. The model under discussion here is called community oriented policing (COP), and focuses on building relationships and rapport between officers and the community in order to more effectively prevent crime. It is augmented by a model called problem solving policing (PSP), and depends upon rank-and-file officers identifying community problem areas through direct observation and analysis. Each model excels at slightly different things, and in practice most police agencies deploy a mix of models. By examining the Miami-Dade Police Department's handbook for school resource officers, it will be possible to view a COP/PSP policy in action in order to better understand how these models practically affect policing.

Approaches of both community policing and traditional policing models differ in a variety of ways. The characteristics of the policing models are quite different from each other, and community based policing was considered laughable when suggested for the new approach in the early 1970s. Due to community policing’s new operating beliefs, new and unfamiliar expected officer behaviors, and that officers were being held legally responsible for their actions and inactions; the idea and implementation wasn’t widely accepted until 1980’s. Traditional policing was primarily dominated by rampant corruption and lawlessness that affected all levels of the police administration; therefore citizens had little trust if any, in the police officers of the time.

In the pursuit of such goals as discovering what differences there were in the ways officers perform their function based on “explicit community decisions” (Wilson, 1970, p. 4), Wilson identified the primary functions of the local police as law enforcement, order maintenance, and service delivery (Wilson, 1970). These were, according to Wilson, three distinct operational styles of policing based on the frequency and formality of police-citizen interactions. Although these operational styles were, in a sense, by products of Wilson’s search for answers to questions about organizations and local governments, they, nonetheless, became staples in criminal justice. Liederbach and Travis (2008) describe these organizational styles part of the “common

First, problem-oriented policing enables police agencies to be more effective. Currently, police agencies commit most of their time to responding to calls for service. Problem-oriented policing offers a more effective strategy by addressing the underlying conditions that prompt calls for service. Often, many of the calls for service are related and, if grouped together, disclose a pattern of activity or

Policing and the way they operate are truly similar as if they are hand in hand with one another. In order for operations to run smoothly and the department to be functioning as one there has to be proper training and care from the supervisors, administrators and from everyone who works together to understand that they’re a team. Everyone in the police department has to work together instead of against one another just to make sure everyone is doing their jobs by the books with no room for errors.

Law enforcement officers have many duties. Law enforcement officers are sworn to serve and protect society as well as to fight crime. They also maintain order within their jurisdiction, as well as providing other services that the community will benefit from. Most of the time, police officers are considered to be crime fighters, in which this image has been brought to citizen’s attention by the media. The styles of policing should match the community in which they serve, so there is no conflict between the community and the law enforcement officer. The future policing structure does have a huge impact socially, economically, and

Patrol and criminal investigation used to dominate policing. Uniformed officers would roam the streets interrupting crime and trying to prevent them from happening. There are different strategies to policing. These strategies include patrol, special operations, and investigations. There are changes that can be made in laws to impact the

Included in our course materials are simulations designed to enhance what the Pearson Government in America textbook teaches. The first three simulations were: You Are James Madison, You Are a Restaurant Owner, and You Are a Police Officer. Judging by the titles, thought I would enjoy the James Madison simulation the most. I enjoy learning about government and I thought the Madison simulation would interest me the most and would be the one to which I could best relate.

There are many different styles and strategies of policing. Some have been well established in history and others have been developed more recently. One factor each method has in common is the goal to improve law enforcement. Some of these styles include Community Policing, Predictive Policing, Hot Spot Policing, Intelligence Led Policing, Problem Oriented Policing, and many more. Each one has its own benefits and drawbacks that must be considered thoroughly in order to best target crime.

The focus of community-oriented policing is not simply on response, but on preventing crime and resolving community problems. This philosophy rests on the belief that the police and the community must work together as partners to solve the contemporary challenges faced in today 's society. (Community Policing Philosophy)