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AJ 58- Community and Human Relations

AJ 58- Community and Human Relations. Chapter 1 – The Idea of Community Policing. The Idea of Community Policing . Traditional “Professional” Model of policing Police aloof and detached from citizenry Avoid political corruption and intervention Modern Community Policing Model

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AJ 58- Community and Human Relations

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  1. AJ 58- Community and Human Relations Chapter 1 – The Idea of Community Policing

  2. The Idea of Community Policing • Traditional “Professional” Model of policing • Police aloof and detached from citizenry • Avoid political corruption and intervention • Modern Community Policing Model • Broadens police mission to address community concerns • Empowers community to have a voice • Demands cooperation • Law Enforcement is part of, not separate from, Community

  3. Community Policing Officer (CPO) • Must work closely with people and specific community problems • Consistently work within a specific geographical beat • Advantages? • Consider arrest as merely one of many options to solve problems

  4. Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994) • Provided guidelines and funding for more than 100,000 CPO’s nationwide • Over 80% of Law Enforcement agencies now subscribe to philosophy of Community Policing • Becoming more institutionalized and publicly understood

  5. Long, complicated process Cover for aggressive tactics False claims of implementation Adopted language, not put into practice Threatens traditional LE status quo Unfulfilled public expectations Confusion with Problem-Oriented Policing Sources of Confusion

  6. Philosophical Facet • LE success • Traditionally based on quantitative output • Citations, arrests, recovered property, response time, etc. • Community Policing calls for philosophical change towards community-based elements

  7. Broad Police Function • LE and citizens must work together to identify and solve community problems • Allow citizens to help set priorities • New focus on proactive vs. reactive response to problems • Focus on reducing fear and maintaining order in a healthy community • Fear of crime can be worse than crime itself • Get citizens actively involved

  8. Effects of Arrest on Crime • What causes crime? • Socio-economic conditions and public policy • Arrests alone do not stop crime! • Crime affected through control of social conditions and public policy • Most LE calls for service are not crime-related!

  9. Citizen Input • How? • Surveys • Town/neighborhood meetings • Minority/business group meetings • Why? • Evaluate effectiveness of LE programs • Gauge citizen behavior, expectations • Establish goals and priorities

  10. Concern for Citizens • “Professional” Model of LE • Aloof and disinterested • Dragnet syndrome- “Just the facts, Ma’am” • Command respect & demand answers! • Community Policing Model • Concern for community problems • Concern for citizens’ physical and emotional needs

  11. Developing Trust Information is the lifeblood of policing! • Must have cooperation to get information • Must have trust to get cooperation • Communication builds trust, therefore… • Good communication with community leads to successful policing!

  12. Sharing Power • Focus on Community’s needs and desires as priority for Law Enforcement • Citizens help identify/solve community problems • May have to deal with “petty” concerns • Encourage citizens to volunteer to help in community

  13. Creativity • Diverse community members may offer innovative approaches/solutions • Citizens become assessors of quality of police services • Not just based on quantitative statistics

  14. Neighborhood Variation • Traditional perception/expectation of “fair and equal enforcement” • Reality? • Always some variation across communities and neighborhoods • Community Policing recognizes the will of the community, not just LE agenda • Allows for varying neighborhood standards • Example: working on car in street

  15. Organizational and Personnel Facet • Community Policing requires… • Philosophical shift in traditional thinking • Commitment to structural change • Decentralize organization to increase response to Community • Not just a single tactic to address one specific community problem

  16. Roles of the CPO • Innovator • Creating new ways to solve old problems • Link • Policing with a human touch • Catalyst • Getting citizens involved • Mini-Chief • Having autonomy to solve local problems • Referral Specialist • Referring people to available community services

  17. Geographic Focus and Ownership • Police activities traditionally focused on… • Time (shifts) • Tasks (assignments) • Success of Community Policing relies on geographical permanence • Officer becomes familiar with people, activities, problems, needs • Area should be small enough for daily contact

  18. Direct, Daily Face-to-Face Contact • Why? • Officers take responsibility (ownership) for what occurs in their beats • People learn to trust and cooperate with familiar officers • Accountability for successes and failures • How? • Various modes of transportation • Patrol car can be barrier to communication

  19. Prevention Focus • Proactive vs. Reactive response • Reduce victimization • Identify problems, create solutions • Attack problems likely to result in crime • Referrals to welfare agencies • Educational/Recreational programs • Life-skills programs, PAL’s

  20. Reorienting Police Operations • Traditional approach • Random, routine patrols • Does not necessarily deter crime • Community Policing approach • Identify problems/implement solutions • Tailor police services to community needs • Increase positive citizen contacts

  21. Problem-Solving Requires innovative thinking!!! • Identify the specific problem • Analyze the problem and its attributes • Identify possible solutions • Implement best solution and evaluate its effectiveness

  22. Situational Crime Prevention • Directed at specific problem/situation • Long-term management/manipulation of immediate environment • Increase efforts/risks of criminal

  23. Community Engagement • Community must take active role in self-protection! • Neighborhood Watch, Citizen Patrols, active reporting of criminal/suspicious behavior, sports/educational activities, etc. • Police responsibility • Encourage/motivate community involvement • Identify citizen leaders • Partnerships with other government agencies • Departmental link to community, not just CPO’s

  24. Criticisms of Community Policing • Can LE truly change its value systems and cultural norms? • Some aggressive tactics disguised as CP • Taking back the streets • “Broken Windows”, “Weed and Seed” • Zero-Tolerance enforcement • Does aggressive enforcement reduce crime? • Mixed statistical results • May lead to alienation of community and distrust of police

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