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

State of Community Policing

NCJ Number
168239
Journal
Law Enforcement Technology Volume: 24 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1997) Pages: 42-43,45-46
Author(s)
K W Strandberg
Date Published
1997
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Although community policing has become accepted in police departments throughout the United States, community policing is a policy that is still evolving.
Abstract
Many police departments have adopted the tenets of community policing but have made modifications to fit their particular situation. Community policing is not a program that can be applied piecemeal; rather, it involves the complete redesign of the police organization. The focus of community policing on problem-solving means changing the mindset of police agencies and developing collaborative community partnerships. Some police departments have resisted community policing, in part due to resource constraints, but many police departments believe community policing provides additional resources, results in fewer calls for police services, is effective in crime prevention, and builds community support for the police. In addition, community policing has energized police officers and has reawakened a sense of community responsibility. The experiences of several police departments in implementing community policing are reported. 2 photographs