Page 11 - 1Proactive Policing

Pro-Active Policing

Administration and gained its funding from the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act. The overall assessment of community oriented policing is positive, as both officers and

community members attest to its effectiveness in reducing crime and raising the sense of security
in a community.
Community policing is defined as involving three key components: developing community

partnerships, engaging in problem solving, and implementing community policing organizational
features. Explore the tabs below for more information on these central components of community

policing.
The United States Department of Justice defines community policing as a philosophy that
promotes organizational strategies in the community to combat potential situations that might

create public safety issues. For instance, crime, social unrest and fear of crime are all public
safety issues that community policing seeks to address.

Community alienation:

It is well known in law enforcement circles that the individual line officer wields an enormous

amount of discretion in enforcing the law (especially, non-dispatched runs like traffic enforcement
or street crime). What is surprising is the public belief that police are usually eager and motivated
to do their job. Thus, when a particular crime problem becomes apparent, it is often approached

by monetary related arguments, such as the need for more police, equipment, training etc.; rather
than by non-monetary related approaches, such as recognizing how a high perception

of alienation among police officers from the citizens of the community where they patrol reduces
morale and spawns police indifference and inactivity.
The experience of community alienation among police officers is closely tied to the experience

of mastery, the state of mind in which an individual feels autonomous and experiences confidence
in his or her ability, skill, and knowledge to control or influence external events. Community

policing requires departments to flatten their organizational pyramid and place even more
decision-making and discretion in the hands of line officers.

Examples of Community Policing:

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