The solutions offered here will not be without barriers and issues. Some seem simple and can be immediately implemented. Others may take some time, effort and involve additional recourses. While others will require much effort, partnerships and be considered long term goals. As we look at each, we must first lay the ground work by showing the necessity and instill a since of urgency. Otherwise, these programs may be viewed as options as opposed to necessities and requirements. Due to this, one must outline an agenda which includes the projected outcomes coupled with scheduled due-dates. This will allow the projects to stay on track while being able to celebrate the small accomplishments, which helps to keep all parties involved.
As the police plan to participate and attend more community meeting they must also understand that they will be addressing more citizen complaints and concerns. The barrier this presents is the expectation of the citizen that their complaint will take priority. Along those same lines, the police will need to operate in a manner in which feedback can be given to the citizen, letting them know what actions have been taken. This will also require the police to spend more time answering these complaints and therefore, may cut into their ability to quickly respond to other calls for service. Although this is a legitimate concern, the importance of improving relationships and partnering with the citizens overrides these concerns and should ultimately
The authors also state that the police are now in a reactive role. This means that they respond to crime, rather than preventing it. Police officers stopped foot patrol and began responding to 911 calls. Many people advocate the restoration of foot patrol for all areas. Foot patrolling is called community policing and consists of two elements - community partnership and problem solving. The police must increase positive relationships with citizens to improve crime control and prevention. To be successful, community-policing programs must operate on a neighborhood scale, finding solutions to neighborhood problems. Successful programs recognize that something, which works well in one neighborhood, may be totally inappropriate for another. Problems must be identified and solutions developed one neighborhood at a time. Community Policing does not propose that we stop fighting crime and disorder, but that officers employ new and innovative strategies. We must become pro-active in preventive rather than reactive. Enforcement is very much a part of the concept. Officers are encouraged to give warnings whenever possible; however, they are still required to make traffic stops and arrests. There is still an emphasis on drunken driving, drugs and juvenile crime. The community should not have the mistaken perception that all enforcement has stopped just because the officers are being "friendly".
One of the barriers that hinder law enforcement from doing an effective and thorough job within the community is communication. Communication is the most important thing to have in any kind of relationship. Where I am from the police go to the least privileged neighborhoods and the talk with the people. Do get me wrong when you are doing something that is against the law, you will be held accountable for your actions. (Schneider, S. R. (n.d.)
Law Enforcement officers have one of the most critical jobs in the United States. Their lives are always on the line and they are of high regards. This means they cannot fail! The results of their jobs do not only depend on their actions but also on the people. What this means is the community has a huge role when it comes to solving crime. Though many people may not believe it, they are the key to a successful crime prevention community. The people of the United States don’t really understand both the positive and negative effects that community policing actually brings. Some may say it is very dangerous based on their experiences. Others may say it’s the best way to do away with crime. Today the two will be compared and put to test by true officers serving our country. The facts will be stated and questions will be answered. Let’s take a look at what community policing is really all about!
Community relation issues across the nation have been increasing and causing many conflicts between law enforcement and communities. There has been so much disorder between communities and law enforcements not agreeing on how situation have been handled. Both the community and law enforcements having different perspectives on making decisions without ever looking at the others side and acknowledging each other’s reasoning behind their actions. Racism, responsibility and morals are some of many terms that are yet to be sorted out within all these communities that have on going conflicts. The relationships between a community and its law enforcement is important, although it is the police job to enforce, it is also the communities job to enforce all day and everyday (Russell).
As the newly appointed Chief of police, it is my job to ensure that the community feels that their concerns are addressed. I feel that the first thing to do is hold a city hall meeting for a question and answer. This would not only give me a better idea of what the community is wanting from the police in the community and it would also allow the community to know how the police force operates and how we should be operating.
A major point of COP is to collaborate with the community to reduce crime. However, several cases have shown that although the community is more likely to inform the police of their concerns, they are still unlikely to actually participate in the solution. These challenges of COP can still be overcome through a detailed, complete and committed adoption of
Throughout the years, law and order have become prevalent in its efforts to maintain control and prevent criminal activity. For some time now, the Stanislaus Police Department has utilized Community Oriented Policing in its efforts to do just that. However, citizens still seem to complain about the way police officers do their jobs. The public does not have a positive outlook on law enforcement at this time; thus, the department requires finding ways in which to repair its relationship with the community. The belief is that in order to make the department better and build a better relationship with the community, several things require change. For one, the department needs to adjust its current management style, put an emphasis on officer training,
Law enforcement officers tend to abuse their power due to the fact that a stronger deviant motivation often give rise to greater deviant opportunity and weaker social control. Grabiner (2016) stated, “Corruption in policing, generally aims towards the poor and working individual and has specific racial dimension” (para. 3). Citizen involvement in policing needs to take a different turn and become more noticeable. The biggest issue is undoubtedly corruption of the law enforcement process. The amelioration of community relations requires not only instituting programs and changing procedure and practices, but re-examining fundamental attitudes. Law enforcement officers have to listen patiently and understandingly to people who are openly critical
There is a pressing police issue that we need to resolve. I think it is important for the leaders of the police departments to hear and implement a solution. The problem is that there are so many reports of police use of excessive force. This is a serious problem that affects us all. People cannot trust the police department if the officers continue to use excessive force. This can lead to people not reporting crimes and taking matters into their own hands. The police department cannot protect and serve if the officers and community act as if they are at war with each other.
Residents of the community should be given the opportunity to complete surveys based on the strengths and weaknesses of community policing. There should also be ongoing community forums and meetings to give citizens direct access to be heard. With this in place, it gives police staff opportunities to evaluate program effectiveness.
In today’s society, law enforcement is facing increased scrutiny and distrust. As we have seen during a recent Council Workshop, community members expressed that their needs were not being met with regards to local law enforcement responding to calls for service. Acknowledging that community members perceive poor response by law enforcement demonstrates a need for more effective engagement with
According to Rukus, Warner, and Zhang, Community policing strategies were designed to give residents greater empowerment by allowing them to participate in deliberations on policing and work more closely with officers on the street (Community Oriented Policing Services, 2014). In order for officers’ ethics to be shown, they must communicate and bond with the citizens in the communities that they serve. Today, many people just believe that police officers are bad because officers have been portrayed as individuals who just arrest and shoot people. Police officers should communicate with people every day, not just when they are arresting someone or serving warrants. Overall, the article by Rukus was very informative. It highlighted the pros of law enforcement agencies, building community relationships and the citizen’s roles in establishing those relationships.
The standards set forth by community policing consist of quality of service, resident-based satisfaction, being sensitive to the diversity of cultures, and impartiality to community defined concerns. CPOs have the means and opportunity to spend more time working with citizens to get to the root causes of criminal activity and maintain order. By improving the communication among officers and residents, it makes it easier share and distribute information regarding crimes with the general public more efficient, (Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective...,pg.62-73,74-123). This creates bipartisan relations and officers can direct people with the correct public, as well as private agencies that can best attend to the concerns of the people
Law enforcement has a crucial role in the community which goes beyond enforcing the law in a politically correct manner. The role of law enforcement includes preserving the peace and generating trust within the community. Communities rely on law enforcement to "protect and serve," while in return, law enforcement relies on the community to support and cooperate. In a perfect world, the relationship between law enforcement and the community would be mutually beneficial and harmonious. However, it is not easy enforcing the law in today’s free society. Law enforcement officers face the best and the worst in humanity. The strained relationship between law enforcement and the community hinders the effectiveness of police officers. There are several approaches to improve the relationship between police officers and the community. Some of these approaches include community policing, use of force, body-worn cameras, and specialized training requirements for police officers, among others.
According to Bohm & Haley (2012) on community partnerships, the police turn into an indispensable part of the community society, and the citizens of the community, thus, helps the police characterize future wrongdoing anticipation systems and allot security control for the people. Police see a need to go out in the community to form meetings with the citizens to help them strategize safety methods for their protection.