Community Policing Defined

Every neighborhood is unique--each area with its own history, character, community attitudes and perspectives about law enforcement. Tactics one district may find acceptable, another neighborhood may find overbearing or in some cases, insensitive to unaddressed community tensions. In fact, underserved groups have historically made claims of discrimination, bias and unjust shootings. The impacts of these cases have often transcended the originating community, with some reaching national attention. Still, few substantive, long-term administration policies have reached the legislative level, leaving the current community policing strategy nationally unmeasured and up to individual department interpretation. Read A Measured Model.