Community Policing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Community Policing - Research Paper Example Within the broad field of public administration, there is a need for administrators to understand how to better function in the public sector. Where service-oriented work is the watchword, and no visible product is offered as a measure of successful productivity, it becomes incumbent upon the administrator to make a concerted effort to evaluate service and citizen impact on that service. This seems to be a good fit with the reinventing government concept of the 1990s where there was a greater emphasis on customer service by public administrators to treat the customer right (Bach, 2009). In the field of law enforcement, it is imperative that successful administrators make every effort to foster a cooperative liaison with the (customer) citizenry. Citizen cooperation will nourish the police-community alliance. Needs can be identified, and efforts to meet those needs can be addressed by citizens and police administrators alike. This attitude of cooperative appraisal of needs fits well i nto the model of community policing (Tilley, 2010). Community Policing Police roles that grew out of the reform era (patrol services, rapid response to calls, etc.) may sometimes lead to roadblocks. These more traditional police practices sometimes encounter a public paradox (Radelet & Carter, 1994). The paradox states that crime control functions collide with due process ideals, in that citizens recognize the need for a social contract (a need for police) that occasionally can run counter to the basic freedom that they seek. So, this conflict (or paradox) between the need for police and the desire for the protection of due process can remain between police and the public (Radelet & Carter, 1994). The winds of change are moving through the hallways of many police organizations in America. For some, these winds are like a summer breeze that opens the door to new possibilities. For others, they signal the onset of a cold, uncertain winter. Regardless of how one experiences it, somethi ng is happening, and this "something" is an attempt to rethink and restructure the role of police in society (Rosenbaum in Bordeur, 1998 p.1). Inability of existing police infrastructures to cope with greater than ever complexities of our fast changing society and increasing demands on police by their rapidly growing constituencies forces police organizations to look for new ways to serve their communities (Tilley, 2010). Increased bureaucratization and over- specialization of police forces and separation from the community amplifies the need for implementing a community-driven police force. Police organizations face increased costs and pressure from the community and interest groups to do more with fewer resources. As a consequence, police administrators are forced to cut some services in order to address priority needs (Tilley, 2010). Reduction and elimination of police services due to budget cuts and increasing operational costs creates community discontent. A new cost efficient approach to prevent and deal with crime is needed in order to cover eliminated services. Community Oriented policing is recognized as a viable solution to reducing crime and efficiently solving community problems (Chacko & Nancoo, 1993). Murphy labels proactive policing as the dominant ideology and organization mode of progressive policing (Murphy, in Chacko & Nancoo, 1993, p. 1). Community policing philosophy and research suggests traditional bureaucratic, crime-attack policing has failed. The police have lost their community context and this loss inhibits the police in their order maintenance and crime control functions (Tilley, 2010). Critics of traditional policing argue, police are mystifying their role and manipulating public expectation. Reactive policing "promotes poor policing management, leading to the issuance of more traffic tickets, the growth of an unofficial quota system, and 'fudging' of crime statistics" (Thibault, Lynch, & McBride 1985, p. 50).