Community Oriented and Problem Oriented Policing Term Paper

Community Oriented and Problem Oriented Policing - Term Paper Example The police department must relate well with the community in order for COP to work. COP involves a firm commitment to necessities and values of the citizen input (1). Problem Oriented Policing (POP) is a policing approach where discrete police business pieces are subjected to microscopic examination hoping that what has been freshly learnt concerning each problem will result in the discovery of more effective strategies for dealing with them. POP values new responses, which are naturally preventive, that are independent of the criminal justice system. It also values the engagement of other public agencies, the private sector and community when their engagement has significant potentials of reducing the problem. Its commitment is related to the implementation of new strategies, full evaluation of its effectiveness, and then reporting the results to other police agencies, in a way that is beneficial to them. As well as help in building of a knowledge body that further supports police p rofessionalization (2). COP has three key components: community partnership, organizational transformation and problem solving. Comparisons between Community Policing and Problem Oriented Policies Historically, COP and POP were considered to be similar. In as much as they overlap in practice and philosophy, they also differ in the way they are performed in problem solving. First, the primary emphasis of community oriented policing is community engagement in the process of policing while in POP, solving problems within the police mandate. Community and police always collaborate in COP, while in POP collaboration is determined based on the prevailing situation; problem by problem. In problem analysis, POP gives first priority to thorough analysis which is only encouraged which is less significant to community collaboration in COP. Enforcement of criminal law is also preferred in POP, while COP prefers responses that collaborate with the community. However, unlike my supervisor, I beli eve that the role of police and community organization and mobilization is only advocated when the problem being addressed is warranted in POP while COP strongly emphasizes the police role. Adoption of the Community Oriented Policing In the late 1960s, there was increased tension between police and communities, especially the communities that were minority. Studies were conducted to determine the problem and it was found that a large number of minority African Americans negatively perceived the police. 3 say that the Michigan movement of 1960 wanted the relationship between police and people much closer. Louis Radelet brought a closer attention to COP so as to solve the problem (4). In 1996, he founded the National Institute on Police and Community Relations, where leaders discussed common problems between themselves. Increasing crime rate and ineffective conventional police methods also triggered the adoption of COP (5). Concerns about riots, racial conflicts, demonstration of civi l rights and political protests confronted the police (5). There was need to research on how such problems could be peacefully solved. There was also increased fear that overwhelmed the public, making them avoid shopping centers, parks, neighborhoods, and public transport (3). According to the research findings and recommendations, it was found that such problems cou