What is Community Policing?

Community policing is a well known term for those who serve in law enforcement. Most community citizens do not even realize the depth of what policing the neighborhood entails. Community policing in simple terms means that when the police are doing their jobs to protect your neighborhood or community they are not just going out without a plan in place. There are strategies and ideals that are followed to make sure uniform procedures are adhered to. When interacting with the community, it is essential to understand that the police force is not alone in what they do. It is imperative that the community is also an integral part of helping to keep crime down. When the members of the community join in the fight by coming forward with information and not holding back when a wrong has been committed, it brings about a joint effort to prevent crimes from happening again. This is the essence of community policing.

Try to understand that the law enforcement is not a separate entity from your community or neighborhood. Most of them live right in the same town you do. The community police agencies are not only there to deal with crime but also to work to better the community itself whether in the city or county you reside in. the general idea that face to face interactions with the police and the community is vital to a successful neighborhood policing effort. This means that more and more agencies are bringing their officers out to serve on bicycles, horses, and on foot. It is hard to meet others when you sit in a car all day. Getting to know the community on a personal level as well as the police officers more intimately can give you a trust that can not be felt if you are afraid or uncertain about what to expect.

On the part of the officer who is expected to be part of the community policing effort, it is essential for them to come into this type of policing with a willingness to serve and a spirit that is open and also not swayed by those he knows. The officer needs to be in a frame of mind to care for what is happening and those it is happening to. When situations arise that the officer may or may not agree with, they need to be able to listen without judgment and be fair to all involved. The officer needs to be sincere about how he treats the community members and not be false in dealing with them. This is the most important part of the neighborhood policing strategy.

Community members need to try to understand that for a successful effort to be made, they also need to be unbiased about their opinions of the police in general. Even though they may have had certain situations arise in the past that were not exactly positive in their dealings with law enforcement, it does not mean they need to assume or judge the whole agency in the same way. When the police and the community come together in a community policing strategy, it not only serves to better the trust between the two but it gives a peace in knowing that you truly are protected from the bad elements.