The large-scale reorganization of police departments has made it more bureaucratically expedient to assign area police patrols according to objective rather than traditional subjective criteria. The reassessment of police patrol styles and the desire to restore public confidence in police officers have been responsible for the emergence of community policing. Community policing represents a dynamic synthesis of citizen interests and police resources dedicated to aggressive crime prevention. Community policing is somewhat controversial, since it departs from accepted standards of police conduct and operations. Various community policing programs are described, and the internal dynamics of police organizations are explored in an attempt to portray certain organizational obstacles that may hinder the establishment of community policing programs. Community reactions to community policing are noted, as well as key issues involving the use of community policing as a viable concept for law enforcement and crime prevention. Essays also focus on variations in community policing, the recruitment and training of community police officers, and the administration of community policing programs. References and tables