Community policing and neighborhood watch programs in higher education

COMMUNITY WATCH IMPACT ON COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Community Policing Neighborhood Watch Programs

The work of Godfrey (nd) entitled: "Assessing the Success of Community-Policing (Neighborhood Watch Program)" states that communities are turning to "community-policing neighborhood watch programs to deter crime in their neighborhoods. This includes the location and elimination of drug houses so that citizens can enjoy peace in their neighborhoods." (Godfrey, nd) Godfrey relates that community policing is a practice that was "developed in the 1970s, a product of the experimentation of rank and file police officers at the street level." (Godfrey, nd)

Major Principles of the Program

The major principles which are stated to distinguish community policing from convention law enforcement are those as follows:

(1) Crime prevention;

(2) Problem-solving; and (3) Partnerships. (Godfrey, nd)

As already stated previously in this review community policing "...supports the systematic use of partnerships." (Community Policing Dispatch, 2008) College and university campuses are stated to be a "rich source of volunteers for law enforcement agencies in higher education settings. Despite being an inherently transient population, the university community can help their campus police departments provide valuable crime prevention and public safety services." (VIPS in Focus, 2009) The College of Lake County Illinois reports that the goals of campus watch are: (1) to encourage extensive community involvement in the reduction of crime and criminal activity; (2) to provide a forum for the exchange and coordination on ideas, concepts and strategies to prevent or reduce crime; (3) to educate members of the College community in crime prevention matters; (4) to focus attention on all issues relating to crime prevention; (5) to share with all segments of the campus community and the campus watch organization matters relating to the continued development of a comprehensive plan for the prevention of crime; (6) to encourage the education of all members of the community in matters which increase personal and community safety; and (7) to encourage maximum cooperation and communication between all community members and the Campus Safety Department toward the goal of crime prevention. (College of Lake County, Illinois, 2008)

IV. Student Volunteers

The work of Gummere (2003) entitled: "Making a Better Place: Planning, Implementing & Managing a Student Volunteer Program" states that community service and volunteering '...directly influence a young person's development of important life skills such as leadership ability, interpersonal and communication skills, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills. For students, community service and volunteering bridges academic learning with applied settings, integrating theory and research with real world experiences." (Gummere, 2005)

IV. A Multidisciplinary Approach

The work entitled: "Campus Threat Assessment Training: A Multidisciplinary Approach" states that it t has been recommended by the Florida Gubernatorial Task Force for University Campus Safety as follows: "That each college and university develop a multidisciplinary crisis management team, integrating and ensuring communication between the university law enforcement or campus security agency, student affairs, residential housing, counseling center, health center, legal counsel, and any other appropriate campus entities to review individuals and incidents which indicate "at-risk" behavior. The team should facilitate the sharing of information, timely and effective intervention, and a coordinated response when required." (Community Policing Dispatch, 2009) Colleges and universities in the United States are "recognizing the particular applicability of community policing in the campus environment. The community policing model helps to create the framework for a productive relationship between the officers and those whom they serve." (Wilson and Grammich, 2009)