What is Community Policing and Its Benefits for Society

Effective policing in society is a complex balance of maintaining order, enforcing existing laws and regulations, and ensuring the public's safety. A range of fundamental activities is the basis of crime prevention. Enforcing the law, investigating crimes, ensuring public safety, and fostering positive relationships are key components of the community policing partnership model.

In several states and cities, the relationship between police and the community they serve is strained to say the least, while other residential enclaves experience positive interactions and trust.

Over the last few years, the police and their communities have recognized the need to build trust and foster improved relationships. The National Policing Institute defines relationship-based policing as: “Establishing and maintaining individual relationships with community members and collateral professionals with the purposeful goal of collaborative problem-solving and management of complex community issues.”  

What Is Community Policing?

Community policing is an organizational strategy emphasizing partnerships between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

At its foundation, two main components exist:

• Partnerships between local law enforcement and community organizations develop solutions for localized issues to increase trust.
• Community leaders and police methodically examine the underlying causes of safety and criminal activities in their neighborhoods and do their best to implement a tailored solution.

Community policing is more than just a philosophy; a set of objectives is put in place to implement the ideology. 

1. Authority is decentralized. 
2. Police continuously interact with the community. 
3. The community and police are actively engaged in problem-solving. 
4. Officers are placed in neighborhoods for extended periods to foster trust.

Unlike the traditional forms of law enforcement and community interaction, community policing involves early intervention and improving the quality of life in a neighborhood.

The Core Principles of Community Policing

Building trust between a community and law enforcement is fundamental to creating an environment where every neighborhood enjoys a safe quality of life and the police are respectful of all individuals.

Partnership Between The Police and the Community

At the heart of Community policing is the synergy created between community members and law enforcement personnel. Open communication between both groups creates trust and shared responsibility. Identifying specific neighborhoods in crisis encourages police and the community to take a proactive approach to a solution rather than a reactive one.

Problem-Solving Approach

Early in a community policing relationship, everyone involved works toward the goal of identifying problems before they escalate into a crime. The problem-solving approach to community policing identifies the issues plaguing the community, analyzes each contributing factor, and proposes a remedy. The solution presents itself with the help of partnerships and a systematic approach to a solution.

Organizational Transformation

Community and law enforcement leadership support revising and changing old habits to increase transparency at every level. Each leader takes on a larger share of the decision-making, along with greater accountability for everyone. Hiring and training individual leaders in both groups becomes a priority to choose the person best suited for the community.

Benefits Of Community Policing

Building trust between a community and the police assigned to control crime is the fundamental objective of community policing. There is a wide range of benefits that happen when two groups trust each other to do the right thing.

Improved public trust and confidence

Treating everyone with the respect they deserve is a fundamental benefit of a well-thought-out community policing strategy. Talking about the issues that matter the most to everyone, making fair decisions that benefit each person, and resolving the safety issues each neighborhood is concerned with should be a priority. Trust in law enforcement leads to a higher degree of cooperation between everyone.

Crime Prevention and Safer Neighborhoods

Safer neighborhoods are the ultimate goal of an effective community policing strategy. When the police and community members get involved early in the process, the root cause of crime can be prevented, rather than just playing catch-up to the criminals. Cleaning up abandoned homes and expanding youth enrichment programs are a good first step in a proactive approach to community policing.

Stronger Community Engagement

Making certain both the community and law enforcement are actively engaged produces meaningful partnerships in every neighborhood. The shared effort from both sides helps create tailored strategies for each neighborhood that needs help. Community members begin to actively brainstorm solutions while police become more transparent with their policies and procedures.

Strategies and Programs Used In Community Policing

Community policing is more than just a strategy on paper; it is a set of initiatives and partnerships that each neighborhood relies on for its families' well-being. The objective is to create lasting trust relationships for the betterment of everyone.

Neighborhood Patrols and Outreach

A police officer's consistent presence in a neighborhood provides a visible link between law enforcement and community policing efforts. Residents become more comfortable, and the officers are approachable due to law enforcement's consistent presence.

• Officers are encouraged to patrol on foot and on bikes, instead of cars, making them more accessible to residents.
• Law enforcement personnel should attend local gatherings and events, showcasing their commitment to the community.
• Youth outreach is highly encouraged by law enforcement, such as school visits, youth sports leagues, and mentoring programs.

Youth Engagement Programs

The single most vital endeavor law enforcement agencies can make is to find ways to connect with the youth of every neighborhood school in some meaningful way.

• Resource Officers have police officers assigned to work directly in schools, providing mentorship, safety programs, and rapid response education. Topics include substance abuse, bullying, and school safety.
• Law enforcement agencies can connect with young people in a variety of ways, including workshops on life skills and decision-making. Officers can move inside the classroom to teach kids about internet safety, drug abuse, and legal rights.

Community Advisor Boards

The bridge between a community and law enforcement is generally an advisory board fostering a direct line of communication between police and residents. These forums and advisory boards give police invaluable insight into how a community thinks.

• Regular meetings between all the involved groups create transparency and accountability, ensuring the right issues are being discussed. Advisory boards give the police an opportunity to state their current objectives based on criminal activities in each neighborhood.

Challenges In Implementing Community Policing

The concepts of Community policing give its residents and law enforcement planners a lot of hope for the future. However, there are significant challenges when implementing the strategy.  It won't be easy to pinpoint the specific community in question, especially when there are so many diverse neighborhoods and residents.

Resistance to change within a Police Force

One of the first and most significant challenges will be to engage a police force that has historically valued a command-and-control approach. A strict adherence to traditional law enforcement strategies is commonplace. Effective changes require a buy-in from all groups, and the strategy is most effective when top leadership groups from all sides are on board with the changes. Success requires clear communication and ongoing education with new success metrics.

Limited Resources and Funding

The most common roadblock to any community policing effort is funding new initiatives. The strategy requires effort from all sides to build long-term relationships and partnerships with residents in every neighborhood. Assigning dedicated police officers to patrol the same beat day after day requires additional funding that may not be available. Specialized community policing training requires time and money to implement the strategies, and ongoing costs should always be considered. Federal and state funding support is available through community policing development grants. Community policing is resource-intensive, and without adequate funding and support, any initiatives will fall short of their goals.

Measuring Success and Impact

Building trust and improving the quality of life for communities and neighborhoods is inherently difficult to achieve. Traditional metrics are most often useless. Law enforcement relies on statistics such as arrests and response times; however, there is no direct link between public safety and community policing initiatives.

Success and positive impacts on the communities served include reduced fear of crime and better relationships with the police. A successful evaluation of community policing requires a blend of lower crime rates and improved response times, linked to increased community trust and satisfaction.