NCJ Number
145803
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 62 Issue: 11 Dated: (November 1993) Pages: 20-23
Date Published
1993
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A police chief discusses community-oriented policing, and how to achieve a balance between its two component strategies.
Abstract
The two strategies each emphasize an aspect of policing: Response to incidents is reactive and emphasizes swift response to incidents; problem-oriented policing is proactive and entails long-term, trusting interactions between police officers and citizens to get to the underlying causes of crime and create a favorable climate for policing in the community. Through analysis of citizen demand patterns, police departments can efficiently implement both strategies as a single, comprehensive, community-oriented strategy. The author's own department did so within the context of the city's commitment to total quality management, and set up a task force consisting of both officers and civilians. A subsequent task force reviewed police functions in terms of community-oriented policing, and the department trained its personnel in community-oriented policing. To quicken response time, the department installed a computer dispatch system; finally, a new facility was built whose design features facilitate citizen involvement.