Reference no: EM133363067

Question: 1. What is Community-Oriented Policing (COP)? Is it effective? Why or why not?
Community-Oriented Policing is a broad term that encompasses many different policies and practices used by many police departments throughout the United States today. A department that claims to practice "community policing" likely has its own definition of what that means. Like many ambiguous terms, it's not possible to give a crisp and clean definition, but I will briefly explain the idea behind this method of law enforcement (Maguire, E, 2009, XV). Robert Peel, who served as Britain's Chief Home Secretary for 6 years and was instrumental in forming Britain's Metropolitan Police Force, established the "Nine Peelian Principles Of Law Enforcement." These principles would be used as a guideline for today's community-oriented policing, which is why Robert Peel is known as the father of modern community policing (Lewis M, 2011). These principles emphasized crime prevention through building relationships with citizens rather than repressing others with a military-like force. Peel wanted the police to seek and preserve public favor by offering service and friendship to all civilians, regardless of their wealth or social status. This did not mean that Peel was opposed to punishing crime; he believed in strict adherence to the justice system, and in authoritatively punishing the guilty. Modern-day community policing generally consists of problem-solving, community partnerships, and organizational adaptation (Sir Robert's, 2017).

Is Community-Oriented Policing Effective?

Community-Oriented Policing is effective. However, with the implementation of this style of policing being so open to interpretation, the level of effectiveness will vary. Many variables will change how effective this model is, including the quality of law enforcement officers, the culture and demographic of the community, and the methodology used to implement community-oriented policing. In some cities, where there is a high level of gang-driven criminal activity, and there is a horrible relationship between police officers and the community (which may be comprised of many criminals), COP will be an uphill battle. In other cities, where crime is not as blatant and the community is more respectable and safe, community policing will probably come naturally. Since a lot of COP is based on problem-solving by individual officers, a lot depends on that individual, their background, emotional intelligence, and training.

Question: 2. How does the implementation of Community-Oriented Policing (COP) impact staffing and deployment of officers and other resources?
It depends largely on the strategic implementation of COP. Some departments have opted to appoint specific COP officers that are allocated to deal with community relations, problem-solve, and complete other tasks outside of traditional law enforcement like traffic stops and responding to civilian calls. Having a strategy like this may have a negative effect on staffing if the normal needs of the community are not being met. Another option is to have all officers implement COP strategies, which will not change the staffing needs of the department. More considerations must be made based on the details of implementation. If a department decides to have officers patrol on foot in order to improve COP efforts, that could extend the response time of those officers to a civilian request for law enforcement that is not in the immediate vicinity. In conclusion, the implementation of COP can and will impact staffing and resources, but the details are flexible, and with proper planning and allocation, COP should have a positive effect on staffing.