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Evolutionary Look at Law Enforcement with a View Towards Change: How We Got to Where We Are (video)

NCJ Number
234896
Date Published
December 1994
Length
0 pages
Annotation
In this video address, Dr. Bruce Benson - the Police Chief and Director of the Department of Police at Michigan State University - contrasts the features of traditional policing with those of community-oriented policing in terms of effectiveness, organizational climate, and officer morale.
Abstract
Traditional policing is characterized by the activities of "response," "patrol," and "investigation" performed under a centralized command in which obedience to the hierarchy is emphasized. The focus of police personnel is on responding to calls for service in the course of patrol shifts, followed by investigations by specialized personnel who seek to compile sufficient evidence to make an arrest. Community-oriented policing, on the other hand, assigns officers to particular areas of the agency's jurisdiction where they remain over extended periods, becoming familiar with the public safety issues on their beats, interacting with residents and business owners, identifying and manage the resources needed by the community to improve its quality of life, and working with members of the community in identifying their concerns and developing strategies for making the community safer. Beat officers work under a decentralized structure in which they become the authorities and decisionmakers regarding the best approach for preventing and responding to crime and disorder in their area of the jurisdiction. This is done in collaboration with community leaders who reside in their beat areas. When needed municipal agencies and other resources are contacted for assistance. Police discretion and innovation are emphasized in community policing, which has proven to increase officer morale and sense of ownership of policing on their beats while breaking through the barriers that may have separated them from the people they are called to serve.