Verified Document

Community Policing Today Is A Term Paper

This is an issue that should be seriously addressed in Macom. In terms of ethnic minorities, the statistics are far less conclusive than those related to gangs. According to a study of crime in Miami conducted by Liliana Cordero, ethnicity plays a far less significant role in the occurrence of homicide than factors such as drugs, alcohol, arguments, and killing in the course of other felonies such as robbery. In the case of Macom, it is then perhaps wise to make the primary target of investigation the youth in general rather than a specific ethnic group. This could have the concomitant advantage of remedying the relationship damage between the police and the minority community.

In short, the police not only can, but should do something about the rising crime rates in the Macom community. This is indicated by the mission statement above, and indeed also the primary function of the police force.

III Policing philosophy and strategies

In addition to a clear and public mission statement, the Macom police should also have a clearly articulated policing philosophy and concomitant strategies to curb the crime problem. This is where targeted investigation can lead to targeted solutions via effective strategy. The philosophy should closely adhere to the mission statement and the purpose of the police department. A suggestion for a policing philosophy is as follows:

Policing is a service towards the community to help promote safety and security. In order to fulfill its functions of crime prevention effectively, the police should ensure favorable relations with the community they serve, and where possible involve the community in teamwork efforts towards promoting safety and security.

Community policing is a trend that has been part of police work for a number of years. Yet it is a very contentious issue, and not all police officers and agencies are in favor of it. According to Ellison (2006), some manifestations of the phenomenon include officers walking rather than driving around neighborhoods, ride bicycle, or interact with neighborhood associations. Other community policing programs occur in the form of educational programs for young people, neighborhood watch programs, etc. According to Ellison, this diversity indicates the diversity of the people involved in community policing. It also indicates that the trend is very flexible, and can be adjusted according to the needs and culture of any specific police department.

This is good news for the Macom police department and its specific problems. It is suggested that the department create a program in various steps. Firstly, an in-depth investigation should be launched into the associations between the changing demographic and criminal activity. A report should then be followed by meetings with community leaders from the ethnic community, and also school teachers, parents, business representatives, and other influential people from the community. The findings of the study should be presented to these delegates, and strategies devised in which the community can cooperate with police to curb the rising crime rate. Specifically, gangsterism,...

The main effects of the crime problems are currently police demoralization and community negativity and fear. These can be mitigated by strategies under the umbrella of community policing. For Macom specifically, I believe community policing is an excellent solution to the current hostility from the ethnic community particularly. In this regard, Stephens (2001) also suggests that strategies such as needs analyses, mediation, and arbitration as alternatives for formal court settlements could further enhance the relationship between the community and the police.
IV Civil Liberties

After 9/11/2001, civil liberties have come under microscopic scrutiny, with accusations running rampant to the effect of police detaining suspected terrorists simply on the basis of their ethnicity, and the like. While the situation in Macom is not as extreme and does not relate to terrorism, it is nonetheless related. It appears that there is indeed an element of truth in the community leaders' accusations of racism, profiling, and arrest without proof of criminal activity. These issues are extremely damaging to the effectiveness of the police and should be addressed with the urgency they deserve.

Stephens (2001) addresses the issue by citing a study on the issue of crime prevention conducted by the National Institute of Justice of the U.S. Dept. Of Justice since the mid-1990s. Desire reduction programs such as visits to troubled homes to prevent the youth from criminal activities, parent training, family therapy, drug treatment and vocational training programs have been found to work well.

At bottom, the Macom police department should concentrate on programs to nurture its youth via wholesome activities and educational programs, while at the same time building its community relations by cultivating positive relationships with all community leaders.

Bibliography

Berry, Tim. (2008) Writing a Mission Statement. Bplans.com http://articles.bplans.com/index.php/business-articles/writing-a-business-plan/writing-a-mission-statement/

Cordero, Liliana. The Perpetration of and Victimization by Violence in Ethnic Minorities- Issues, Findings, and Considerations. Texas Tech University. http://www.apa.org/divisions/div12/sections/section7/Diversity-Fact-Sheet.doc

Ellison, John. (2006, April). Community policing: implementation issues. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Article Database: FindArticles.com http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_4_75/ai_n16133604/print

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. (2008). Youth Gangs and Violence. http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/youthgang.asp

Stephens, Gene. (2008, May). Proactive Policing: The Key to Successful Crime Prevention and Control. USA Today. Article database: FindArticles.com http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2672_129/ai_74572242/print

Sources used in this document:
Bibliography

Berry, Tim. (2008) Writing a Mission Statement. Bplans.com http://articles.bplans.com/index.php/business-articles/writing-a-business-plan/writing-a-mission-statement/

Cordero, Liliana. The Perpetration of and Victimization by Violence in Ethnic Minorities- Issues, Findings, and Considerations. Texas Tech University. http://www.apa.org/divisions/div12/sections/section7/Diversity-Fact-Sheet.doc

Ellison, John. (2006, April). Community policing: implementation issues. The FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. Article Database: FindArticles.com http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m2194/is_4_75/ai_n16133604/print

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. (2008). Youth Gangs and Violence. http://www.safeyouth.org/scripts/faq/youthgang.asp
Stephens, Gene. (2008, May). Proactive Policing: The Key to Successful Crime Prevention and Control. USA Today. Article database: FindArticles.com http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1272/is_2672_129/ai_74572242/print
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Community Policing
Words: 4655 Length: 17 Document Type: Research Paper

Community Policing Efficacy The Violent Crime Control & Law Enforcement Act of 1994 heralded the beginning of a massive effort to reform policing strategies in the United States, in part through implementation of community-policing programs at the local level. Congress has allocated billions of federal dollars over the years since to support such efforts and by the end of the 20th century, close to 90% of all police departments serving communities

Community Policing and Psychology
Words: 2590 Length: 8 Document Type: Term Paper

Community policing is a strategy that requires both new attitudes and commitments from citizens and new attitudes and commitments from police officers. It builds on the basic practices of policing by emphasizing cooperation between the police department and the citizenry, by emphasizing the prevention of crimes as opposed to just catching perpetrators, and by developing long-term solutions to existing and potential problems in the community (U.S. Department of Justice [DOJ],

Community Policing According to the United States
Words: 1489 Length: 5 Document Type: Essay

Community Policing According to the United States Department of Justice's Community Oriented Policing Services Website, "Community policing is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies, which support the systematic use of partnerships and problem-solving techniques, to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime." Community policing is defined in similar ways throughout local police departments, although there are enough

Community Policing and the Broken
Words: 580 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

The theory has been used as the basis for several reforms in criminal policy, including the reemphasis upon police foot patrols of neighborhoods and of community policing. The broken windows theory is supported by several empirical studies. At the same time it has also been subjected to a huge amount of criticism from sociologists and nonsociologists alike. In Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in Our Communities George

Community Policing Future Changes in
Words: 1508 Length: 5 Document Type: Term Paper

Frequent town meetings where residents can air concerns to representatives of the force likewise fosters a sense of community empowerment. Finally, it goes without saying that officers must, to establish trust, always seem ethical and not act as if they are above the law. Not abusing police privileges, not accepting things 'on the house' such as free food, upholding the law when engaging in searches, stops, and seizures, and including

Community Policing the End of
Words: 2338 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

In an argument against this decentralization it is argued that "diminishing their importance would erode the privatized feel that now dominates the exercise of city power in America and, thereby, affect the life of every metropolitan resident." (Frug, 1999) it is argued that the community policing will create 'city power' which will be the forerunner of the decentralization of power to American cities. This would in the long run

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now