Chapter 12
Community Policing
Learning Objectives
LO1 Discuss the current thinking about corporate strategies for policing, including strategic
policing, community policing, and problem-solving policing.
LO2 Describe the philosophy and genesis of the current corporate strategies of community
policing and problem-solving policing.
LO3 Discuss the effect of community policing on current policing.
Lesson Plan
Correlated to PowerPoints
I. Corporate Strategies for Policing
Learning Objective 1: Discuss the current thinking about corporate strategies for policing,
including strategic policing, community policing, and problem-solving policing.
A. Strategic policing: involves a continued reliance on traditional policing operations
B. Community policing: philosophy of empowering citizens and developing a
II. The Philosophy of Community Policing and Problem-Solving Policing
Learning Objective 2: Describe the philosophy and genesis of the current corporate strategies
of community policing and problem-solving policing.
Class Discussion/Activity:
1-3
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Define community policing and problem-solving policing, and give three actual examples of each.
See Assignment 1
2. These units were not effective, however, because they usually appeared only after
an ugly incident.
B. Modern community policing
1. As compared with the PCR movement, entails a substantial change in police
thinking
Class Discussion/Activity:
The broken windows theory is often referred to when discussing community policing. What is
meant by the term “broken windows”?
3. It expands the responsibility for fighting crime to the community as a whole and,
III. Community Policing
Learning Objective 3: Discuss the effect of community policing on current policing.
Class Discussion/Activity:
Community-oriented policing is an approach toward crime that addresses the underlying causes of
crime and endeavors to apply long-term problem solving to the issues through improved police–
community partnerships and communication. How is this possible when the average tenure of a
police chief is just over three years? Will top management changes derail long-term partnerships?
A. Robert C. Trojanowicz: founded the National Center for Community Policing in East
Lansing, Michigan in 1983
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B. According to Herman Goldstein, the benefits of community policing include:
1. A more realistic acknowledgment of police functions
3. An acknowledgment of the limited capacity of the police to accomplish their jobs
4. Less dependence on the criminal justice system and more emphasis on new
problem-solving methods
6. More effective use of personnel
7. An increased awareness of community problems as a basis for designing more
effective police response
C. Trends in police departments related to community policing:
2. Officers assigned by geographic area
4. Community input encouraged
D. Police departments are using websites, email, and social media to connect with
communities
IV. Problem-Solving Policing
Learning Objective 4: Explain the process of implementing problem-solving policing.
Class Discussion/Activity:
How does problem-oriented policing differ from traditional methods of policing?
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A. Problem-oriented policing strategy (known as SARA)
See Assignment 2
1. Scanning: identifying the neighborhood crime and disorder problems
3. Response: developing and implementing solutions
Media Tool
The SARA Model
http://www.popcenter.org/about/?p=sara
o Article: Center for Problem-Oriented Policing
o Discussion: Discuss this article. Discuss SARA and detail the specific methods used.
What If Scenario
You are a patrol officer assigned to a section of your city that is in the beginning stages of decay.
What would you do to try to slow down or halt this decay? What principle of policing would you
use?
B. Improving various skill sets
2. Coordination (networking)
V. Successful Examples of Problem-Oriented Policing
Learning Objective 5: Describe some successful examples of problem-oriented policing.
A. California Highway Patrol (CHP)
1. Implemented a program to keep the thousands of farm laborers who are hired to
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B. San Marcos (Texas) Police Department
What If Scenario
You are an officer assigned to reduce the number of traffic fatalities in your city. Using the San
Marcos, Texas model, what would you do to reduce fatalities?
1. Used problem-oriented policing to address an issue that, while not as serious as
2. This effort resulted in a 16.3 percent decrease in calls for service regarding loud
C. Colorado Springs (Colorado) Police Department
2. As a result of this initiative, the camps were cleaned up, no arrests were made for
D. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
1. Used problem-oriented policing to address an increase in robbery victimization
2. These efforts produced a 72 percent decline in robbery rates in the apartment
complex and overall calls for service also declined
VI. Community Policing Today
Learning Objective 6: Describe the status of community policing today.
A. Coffee with a Cop: program designed to bring police officers together with members
B. User-friendly Aurora, Colorado website
1. Facilitates transparency with the police department’s organizational chart and
See Assignment 3
Class Discussion/Activity:
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Resident officer programs have sprung up all over the nation. What is a major criticism of these
programs? What are the benefits of these programs?
C. Other Community Policing Initiatives
2. Suwanee, Georgia
4. Louisville, Kentucky, Division of Police
D. Resident Officer Programs: The Ultimate in Community Policing?
1. Supporters believe resident officer programs capture the essence of community
What If Scenario
You are a veteran officer of your department. Your chief wants to establish a Resident Officer
program in your community. She has asked you to implement this program. What would you do to
ensure success of the program?
2. Resident Officer Programs
a. Elgin’s ROPE
Media Tool
Resident Officer—DeKalb Police Department
o http://www.cityofdekalb.com/296/Resident-Officer
o Article: City of DeKalb Police Department
o Discussion: Discuss what you read in the article. Discuss the agency description of their
resident officer program. What are the main concerns and solutions?
b. Pasadena (Texas)
VII. The Federal Government and Community Policing
Learning Objective 7: Explain how the Federal Government has influenced and supported
community policing.
A. The Crime Bill
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1. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (the Crime Bill) was signed into
law by President Clinton in 1994.
B. Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS)
1. Established to administer the grant money provided by the Crime Bill and to
promote community-oriented policing
2. Over the years, COPS has allocated the funds in three ways:
a. Providing three-year grants to hire police officers to work in community
policing initiatives
b. Awarding grants for improved productivity through acquiring
See Assignment 4
3. Regional Community Policing Institutes (RCPIs)
VIII. Some Accomplishments of Community Policing
Learning Objective 8: Describe some accomplishments of community policing.
A. New York City, New York
1. Used CompStat and broken windows policing
2. Violent and property crime rates are way down in New York, and business
B. New Rochelle, New York
2. The police department partnered with the fire department, building departments,
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C. Duluth, Minnesota
1. Safety and Accountability Audit of the Response to Native Women Who Report
Sexual Assault
D. Santa Fe College, Florida
1. Worked with community partners to incorporate safety branding and messaging,
train students and staff, improve victim’s services, facilitate reporting, and
E. 1. Northampton, Massachusetts
IX. The Debate Continues on Community Policing
Learning Objective 9: Discuss the current debate on community policing.
What If Scenario
You have been asked to make a presentation to a local community group about community
policing. Provide your listeners with the pros and cons of community policing.
A. Customer-based approach
1. Exploration and commitment
3. Monitoring and institutionalization
5. Changing the police culture
7. Dealing with ongoing challenges in the shift to community policing
B. Officer activities
1. Whether the activities officers are engaging in under the umbrella of community
policing (recreational roles, tutoring roles, social work roles) are the type of
activities that law enforcement officers should be doing?
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X. Homeland Security and the Future of Community Policing
Learning Objective 10: Discuss how community policing can be useful in the fight against
terror.
Class Discussion/Activity:
Discuss some of the ways community policing is being used or can be used in the fight against
terror.
A. Fusion centers
1. Serve as focal points within the local environment for the receipt, analysis,
3. Can be tailored to the unique needs of the locality, and the goal is to facilitate the
See Assignment 5
B. Private security industry
1. This is a somewhat untapped resource that could prove to be an extremely
valuable partner to law enforcement
C. Community policing: a vehicle for addressing homeland security
See Assignment 6
1. The partnership and the trusting relationship with the community will prove to be
XI. Summary
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Lecture Notes
1. What is meant by corporate strategies for policing?
For several decades, police chiefs and academics throughout the United States have discussed
changes in the traditional methods of policing and have explored new ways of accomplishing the
2. What is problem-solving policing?
This type of policing uses a nontraditional approach that emphasizes how crime is caused by
3. What are some areas of concern for scholars and practitioners regarding community-
oriented policing?
Research on the effectiveness of community-oriented policing has yielded mixed results. Many
4. How has homeland security been aligned with community policing?
Since September 11, 2001, some departments have made increased efforts to get back to
essential police services. Budget dollars are at a premium and “extra” programs may be viewed
as nonessential. Some believe that going back to more traditional law enforcement with more
Key Terms
broken windows model Theory that unrepaired broken windows indicate to others that members
of the community do not care about the quality of life in the neighborhood and are unlikely to get
coffee with a Cop A program designed to bring police officers together with members of the
community over a cup of coffee to discuss issues and get to know each other. (p. 379)
community policing Philosophy of empowering citizens and developing a partnership between
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Established to administer the grant
Officer Next Door (OND) program A plan initiated in 1997 allowing police officers to receive
50 percent discounts and low-cost loans to purchase homes in “distressed” areas nationwide. It is
now under the umbrella Good Neighbor Next Door program, which also includes teachers,
problem-solving policing Analyzing crime issues to determine the underlying problems and
Regional Community Policing Institutes (RCPIs) Part of the COPS program, the more than 30
RCPIs provide regional training and technical assistance to law enforcement around the country
resident officer programs Programs through which officers live in particular communities to
SARA Acronym for the four parts of the problem-oriented policing strategy: scanning, analysis,
response, and assessment (p. 376)
strategic policing Involves a continued reliance on traditional policing operations. (p. 370)
Assignments
1. If you were the head of a law enforcement agency, what programs would you put in place
2. Using the Internet, research problem-solving policing and how it has changed policing.
What can be done to improve the process? [LO 4]
3. Evaluate your local police department’s website. Does it include an organizational
mission statement? Does the website support the mission statement? Is it easy to locate
information on the site? Does it include links to programs and information that citizens
might be interested in? Does it include contact information? What recommendations
would you make for improving the site? [LO 6]
4. Use the Internet to visit the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services website. Find out what type of and how much funding is available for
5. Use the Internet to research fusion centers. You might find information on your city or
state government’s website. What kind of information is available on fusion centers? [LO
6. Use the Internet to research if and how private companies are partnering with police
departments and the Department of Homeland Security to prevent terrorism. In what