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What is Community Policing?
A central goal of the COPS Office is to help law enforcement agencies
implement and enhance community policing. We have previously defined community
policing as "a policing philosophy that promotes and supports
organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and
social disorder through problem-solving tactics and police-community
partnerships." In an effort to help discern what community policing is,
what interactions between the police and citizens are central to this
philosophy, and how the field should measure movement towards community
policing, COPS has attempted to further outline the elements that are central to
the philosophy of community policing.
This document is considered living, just like community policing itself, and
it is meant to inform current practice and the discussion surrounding the
advancement of community policing. It is not intended to be a prescriptive
listing of central elements, but is meant to stimulate discussion in what is an
ever-expanding body of experience and knowledge about the practice of community
policing.
Community policing focuses on crime and social disorder through the
delivery of police services that includes aspects of traditional law
enforcement, as well as prevention, problem-solving, community engagement, and
partnerships. The community policing model balances reactive responses to calls
for service with proactive problem-solving centered on the causes of crime and
disorder. Community policing requires police and citizens to join together as
partners in the course of both identifying and effectively addressing these
issues.
The core elements of community policing are described below:
| Organizational Elements: |
Tactical Elements: |
External Elements: |
1. Philosophy Adopted
Organization-Wide
2. Decentralized Decision-Making and Accountability
3. Fixed Geographic Accountability and Generalist Responsibilities
4. Utilization of Volunteer Resources
5. Enhancers |
1. Enforcement of
Laws
2. Proactive, Crime Prevention Oriented
3. Problem-solving |
1. Public Involvement
in Community Partnerships
2. Government and Other Agency Partnerships |
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