Chapter06 Community Policing and the Police Officer.pdf

Chapter6 Community Policing and the Police Officer Under a variety of names—strategic policing, problem-solving policing, neighborhood-oriented policing, community and others-police agencies are developing new concepts to better satisfy the demands and needs of the citizens they serve. In the course of the self-examination and creative thinking that are taking place, fundamental questions have been raised about the basic purpose and responsibilities of the police, the capabilities they possess, the types of contributions they can make to society, the optimum methods of their organization and deployment, and the relationship that they have with the communities that employ them. In contrast to a philosophy of business as usual, police executives sense the need to redeploy the money and authority entrusted to them in hopes that their organizations will produce greater value for society. Much has been written about the potential effects of these innovative changes in policing on community involvement,city government, and the police department itself. This chapter examines the impact of creative forms of policing on the ultimate key to their success——the individual police officer. As the emphasis and methods of policing change, the position of the police officer in the organization changes also. Instead of reacting to specified situations,limited by rigid guidelines and regulations, the officer becomes a thinking professional, utilizing imagination and creativity to identify and solve problems. Instead of being locked in an organizational straitjacket, the police officer is encouraged to develop cooperative relationships in the community,guided by values and purposes, rather than constrained by rules and excessive supervision. To make this possible, much thought must be given to designing the structure of police organizations and to recruiting, selecting, training, and supporting officers in the field. Changes must be made in all of these areas to create a new police pro