Community Orientented Policing

What is the appropriate role of police in crime prevention? In general, As Schneider (2010 & 2015) insists, even though community crime prevention is being placed the utmost importance on by many modern crime prevention theories and law enforcement besides police, the most vital role of police is unshakeable in preventing and controlling crime.

Crime in the United States has been an important debate and continues to increase from year to year. Television show such as America’s Most Wanted, First 48, and CSI are a few that show Americans that crime is real and running ramped. The fear of crime has become a noticeable characteristic of today’s society and has led to government officials, practitioners, and the community to search for ways to effectively prevent and reduce the problems identified. So how do we attack crime and lower the fear of crime in our communities when traditional policing efforts aren’t working? How do we do this with a financial budget? Community-oriented policing is the answer that many cities across the United States and in other countries have turned to.

In light of recent events that have caused rifts in relations between local law enforcement and communities have caused problems that needs to be addressed. To address this issue, the NYPD issued an executive order to establish a new unit called COP- Community Oriented Policing. The NYPD currently has Community Affairs division Bureau established to foster a positive police-community relations. However, it lacks the structure, staff and functions needed to work with community leaders and others to improve the community and relationship. The COP unit under the NYPD section is needed to create a viable community policing as well as working together for crime reduction in communities.

In policing a large city, there are multiple approaches that the police chief can use. Four of the main strategies are the standard approach, community-oriented policing (COP), order-maintenance policing (OMP) and problem-oriented policing (POP). Experts disagree on which approach is best, but each one has its own benefits and detriments. The standard model is the traditional reactive approach to policing. The key elements of the model are preventative patrols, emergency responses and follow up investigations.

Law-abiding citizens of the United States follow the rule of law and respect one another. Unfortunately, confrontations between minority groups and the police departments have turned deadly. The proven irresponsibility of publishing misinformation by the media without first verifying their sources has caused rioting and destruction in these communities. The current murderous assaults of law-enforcement personnel throughout the United States and the criminal actions of some law-enforcement personnel against minorities, and others, created a gulf between the police and the communities they serve. The communities, government, and police have an agenda that they believe is a pathway to establish a respectful, lawful, understanding between law-enforcement and the communities they serve. Empathy requires the understanding and respect of the problems, feelings, and conditions endured by others. The proposed agenda may begin the process of understanding.

Different officers may have different ways to contribute to partnerships. For example, patrol officers have a unique position to help monitor and supervise supervisees (Parent and Snyder, 1999). Patrolling gives officers access to the supervisee and their social networks which can help provide knowledge of their activity (La Vigne, N. G., Solomon, A. L., Beckman, K. A., Dedel, K., & Center, J. P., 2006), this can be very valuable especially in cases which community corrections officers are mostly in their office and not in the field (Thornton et al. 2006). This can help with intervening before recidivism occurs due to being able to foresee issues that the supervisee may be having. This may help law enforcement officers prevent certain crime

My vison for positive social change within my professional goal is to improve community policing in our society to reflect the evolving changes of the 21st Century. My academic goal is to gain the knowledge to use critical thinking skills and communicate my finding in a scholarly format for criminal justice policy-makers.

Auxiliary Policing was formed in 1989 and Peel Auxiliary Police has over 100 active volunteers. The duty of an Auxiliary Police officer is to supplement the police force with additional manpower. Although they do not perform duties that require force, they take part in other police work that preserves peace and order, prevents crime and protects life and property, as instructed by their department. Auxiliary members support Peel Regional Police by attending special community events, assisting with RIDE programs, patrol escorts and emergency callouts. PEEL Auxiliary Police has done many things for their community such as, Santa Claus and Remembrance Day parades, local community events like the Streetsville Bread and Honey Festival, Khalsa Day Parade, and Canada Day celebrations in Brampton and Mississauga. They also provide assistance in the Training Bureau at Recruit Graduations and they are involved daily with Canada Immigration to be on hand for Citizenship Court swearing in ceremonies. The volunteers put in countless hours to support the police force in certain events for their community. Community service and volunteerism are an investment in our community and the people who live in it.

I am embarrassed at times while participating in CP activities. I believe we have strayed from our main objective. We are getting to “Buddy-Buddy” with students. CP is also getting invited to participate in activities that should only be attended at watched from afar. Don’t get me wrong we have made great strides to promote a rapport with everyone on campus, but somethings are just to over the top. Let’s keep community policing professional and include all of the UPD officers available for events. CP should continue to be seen, promote safety, take cases, and avoid certain activities that takes away from normal UPD duties.

According to Miller, Hess, and Orthmann (2008) community policing is defined as a law enforcement agency actively working with the residents of the community to reduce and prevent crime. Within the Fort Worth, Texas police department a citizen’s police academy is held for members of the local community to actively participate with sworn officers and serve as a link between officers and the community they protect. In addition to the citizen’s patrol, Burleson also hosts an Explorer program which allows young adults age fourteen or older to gain valuable learning experiences by interacting with officers who mentor and mold them into responsible members of the community. McGruff the crime dog is another child based icon which teaches young children about safety and avoiding violence and

Although not all communities are benefited from community policing, some have had great success in achieving the goals for community policing and some have had little success in the program because of the lack of understanding of what the program is intended for and a lack of consistency in the involvement with the community. In order to be effective community policing requires participation from both the law enforcement agency and the citizens it serves. Officers who are not fully committed to the assigned neighborhoods can cause adverse effects on the community that results in a failed

Community oriented policing is a policing strategy based on the notion that community interaction and support can help control crime and reduce fear, with community members helping to identify suspects, detain vandals and bring problems to the attention of police. It is a philosophy that combines traditional aspects of law enforcement with prevention measures, problem-solving, community engagement, and community partnerships (Ref. 1).

Initiating community-oriented policing is about partnerships and building trust in communities between law enforcement and the citizens in the community (Bull, 2015). According to Bull (2015), community policing has shifted from a centralized bureaucratic command to a collaborative style of problem-solving crime and disorder through programs and activities within the community. To be effective, community policing requires the trust of the citizens. According to Schlosser, Cha-Jua, Valgoi, and Neville (2015), The Law Enforcement Code of Ethic states that the duties of a police officer are to serve humankind, safeguard lives and property, protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against

Law enforcement must endeavor to keep programs such as citizens’ academies, town hall meetings and philosophies such as community oriented policing. Why? Because they maintain the pipeline to the public and they keep law enforcement in touch with the community. There is a need for more communication between law enforcement and community stakeholders. For the police to maintain the public’s trust in the face of negative incidents and changing demographics, the manner in which they convey their trustworthiness may have to change. To achieve real transparency its going to take more that technical gadgetry. Tracie Keesee, a police captain who is also the co-founder of RCLA’s Center for Policing Equity, suggest turning precinct houses into public spaces. “It might be adjoined with a rec center,” she says. “There could be wireless in the lobby, a room for community meetings, so that it’s not just that you come in when you’re handcuffed or making a report. (Bennett, D, 2014).”

Hopeful in this paper will give the strengths and weakness, when, why and who started SARA Model, Problem-Oriented Policing and Community- Oriented Policing. These are methods that will be use throughout the law enforcement filed. And know the key components and how to use them will beneficial to you as you progress in your file of chose with the law enforcement filed.