New Police Chief’s Community Policing Initiative Report Examples

Community policing according to Kelling (2011) is an issue that stands at the juncture of being the tool that will increase the efficiency of policing and an idea full of faults and shortcomings. Historical evidence shows that community policing ventures have frequently been unsuccessful, and the same cannot be allowed to happen in Centervale.
In the wake of the increased negative publicity that Centervale police have received due to issues of racial profiling and brutality; the ability to cooperate with community members in bringing down crime is compromised. The major problem is that these issues have occurred over time and if not checked, they will completely destroy the trust between law enforcement and the community they are supposed to serve. Without this kind of trust, efficiently dealing with crime will be virtually impossible. In an atmosphere of suspicion between officers and the people, the main goal is often forgotten. The community’s needs and concerns are not dealt with, and this compromises the security of both the police and community members.
The basic understanding of community policing that Centervale intends to employ is that of combating crime using police machinery that includes aspects such as community engagements, being proactive and creating sensible partnerships. This cannot be achieved with accusations of racial profiling and brutality being prevalent in Centervale. The community is required in order for the police to achieve a balance between reactive response to the calls to duty and the pro-active approach of solving issues before they get out of hand. This means that the police need to deal with the allegations leveled against it in order to allow the building of a relationship with the community which is essential to community policing.
If cases such as the ones being reported continue to surface, the hope of building positive relationships with community members will become impossible. In the new approach that the department wants to take, the input of the people will be very important to the success of the undertakings. It will call for the bridging of the current gap between the police and the people. It will call for the understanding of individual officers that they are part and parcel of the Centervale community. The community will also have to be raised to the level that it has the same mutual feeling towards the officers.
Centrevale’s new approach to community policing will entail the police taking social action rather than the traditional legal approach. This will call for more involvement with the community in drawing up security policies and strategies. As Nijhar (2013) points out, the effective community policing strategies in the modern world will call for the police officers to enter into the community and get involved in all of its activities. In doing this, important interpersonal relationships at the personal level will be forged. These relationships will be the basis for the success of the proposed approach to policing. An important feature that should be considered is the dynamic nature of the society.
Policing in the modern world calls for the employment of the theory of connection of dots. In this approach, the police are enabled to get wind of a given suspicious activity before a crime occurs. This has been employed by law enforcers all over the country. Centrevale’s new approach to community policing will help achieve such effect that is essential in the improvement of security in the area. The community-based approach to be adopted in Centrevale will have a focus on problem solving. This will increase the proactive nature of police work that will ensure better dealing with public safety issues in the community.
The police in this approach will be required to view the community members as partners in the fight against crime. With the department initializing trust building measures, it is expected that the community will turn around and partner with the police for the mutual benefit to be realized.
In the said approach, the drawing of security strategies and making of key decisions will take the bottom up approach. Here, the partners in the community will be actively involved in deciding what happens in matters of security. Their involvement will increase the efficiency of the security machinery in the area.
Goldwater Institute (2011) offers a checklist of the ultimate objectives of policing. If Centervale successfully adopts the Community-Based Approach, it will see the fulfillment of some of the key objectives pointed out. For a start, the approach will see the reduction of crime and victimization. This is a core element in police work achieved by changing focus from law enforcement alone to crime prevention. The approach will also see effective application of justice in the society. If the two parties, community members and the police partner to arrest offenders, the practical effects of police work are observed. These have the effect of further improving security by deterrence of other offenders. The community-based policing will also see the satisfaction of demands the public has on security issues. The police service as a whole will achieve some level of legitimacy due to the personal contact the officers have with the people. This is essential to the overall success of policing in Centervale.

Brochure

The history of community policing can first be traced to the civil rights movement of 1960s. This period saw improvements in certain elements of policing such as the relations between police and the people. This was brought by the many riots experienced at that time. The other stride came with the increased Academic interest of the 1970s. This saw the government take steps to invest in research about the issues. The 1980s saw the adoption of solid community policing approaches. Various publications were made on how the matter could be made a reality. By 1990s, community policing was part of the mainstream reforms made in the society. It became adopted by police departments all over the country.
The benefits of successfully implementing community policing are immense. In Centrevale for instance, it will lead to a feeling of personal ownership in security issues by individuals. This is due to the active involvement of community members in policing issues. Community policing will also see the community and the police work hand in hand to solve many issues troubling the society while making use of the available communal resources. A major benefit achieved by community policing is the improvement of the confidence placed by the public on the police force. This has been weaning in most places over time, but replacing it does great good to the safety of the community at large.
The venture of rebuilding trust with the wider community will include involving all people with the desire to bring a positive impact to the whole issue. This can see groups such as the marginalized groups, local leaders and the youth allowed to air their views. The other important step is addressing past issues that may have negatively impacted on the trust people had in the police. Issues such as brutality and racial profiling in Centervale can be addressed in order to clear the air. The police should also provide clear and genuine opportunities through which the community communicates with the police. Avenues through which the two groups talk and exchange views will be key in rebuilding trust.

References:

Brogden, M., & Nijhar, P. (2013). Community policing. Routledge.
Greene, J. R., & Mastrofski, S. D. (Eds.). (1988). Community policing: Rhetoric or reality. New York: Praeger.
Kelling (2011). Keeping Americans Safe: Best Practices to Improve Community Policing and to Protect the Public. Policy report, Goldwater institute. No. 242
Meares, T. L. (2014). Law of Community Policing and Public Order Policing. Encyclopedia of Criminology and Criminal Justice, 2823-2827.
Rosenbaum, D. P., & Lurigio, A. J. (1994). An inside look at community policing reform: Definitions, organizational changes, and evaluation findings. Crime & Delinquency, 40(3), 299-314.