U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Policing in the 21st Century (From Selected Readings in Criminal Justice, P 268-278, 1998, Philip L. Reichel, ed. -- See NCJ-183418)

NCJ Number
183426
Author(s)
John Crank
Date Published
1998
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This analysis of the future of policing focuses on community policing, crime in the inner city, police training, and drug law enforcement.
Abstract
The discussion emphasizes four themes: an evolution of policing into a focus on community wellness, the potential for random events with profound impacts, and the institutionalization of particular ideas of community policing sought by influential reformers. Further themes include the crime-control and political contexts of policing and the subtle differences between liberal and conservative agendas for crime control. Specific predictions include a return to foot patrol, a shift from 911 systems to penalty fees for bogus emergency calls, the decentralization of the police command structure, and the continuing economic stagnation of large cities. Further changes predicted include the use of personal video recording devices, major changes in police education, postgraduate police education in schools of education, and laws banning tobacco. The analysis concludes that police officers will still perform the same functions they did in earlier periods even amid all these changes.