Policing Through Community-Oriented Police Techniques.

¶ … policing through community-oriented police techniques. Community-oriented policing (or community policing) is one of the most popular forms of policing today. Some of the largest departments in the nation use it, such as the Los Angeles Police Department, and proponents feel it adds social responsibility and understanding to the police officer's responsibilities. Community-oriented policing is really a blend of police work and problem solving, and many citizens find it is much more helpful and effective than traditional policing.

What is Community Policing?

Community-oriented policing was born in the 1980s, when a group of forward-thinking police administrators and officers felt that "traditional" policing, built on foundations from the 1930s, was too old-fashioned and was beginning to fail, as well. Traditional policing was based on rapid response, while community-oriented policing involves police partnering with the community to create safer neighborhoods and more citizen involvement in the process (Bucqueroux, 2007). This type of policing can be extremely effective, and many communities feel it helps police officers deal with the great diversity so many of America's communities now include. As one group of writers states, "Problem solving and community partnership have become valued aspects of police service since the time of the reform era. As one analysis notes, 'Providing service to the community is the very nature of police work'" (Glenn et al., 2003, p. 92). Community-oriented policing blends community service with the more traditional role of capturing criminals and responding to crime reports.

The text notes that "building trust" is one of the goals of community policing, and this can be done in a number of ways. Many communities now offer police substations throughout the communities, where citizens can meet their local police staff, make complaints, get information, and take an active role in keeping their neighborhoods safe. In addition, building the reputation of the police department by zero-tolerances stands on brutality and corruption among the officers can lead to greater trust in the department throughout the community.

Police Professionalism and Community Policing

Today's police officer is more than an upholder of the law. Today's officer provides a vital service to the community, as one these writers note, "The police officer performs a service for the greater good much as doctors sustain public health, lawyers defend individual rights, and military personnel protect their citizenry" (Glenn et al., 2003, p. 6). Police professionalism is a vital part of this service to society. Society members must be able to trust their police officers to be "above the law" so to speak and to behave professionally and lawfully at all times. Police professionalism implies that departments which foster brutality and corruption are incompetent and dysfunctional. A skilled police officer who is in charge of his emotions and the situation acts professionally and with dignity at all times, and this is the model of police professionalism. It matches perfectly with the more open and available model of community policing. In fact, two other writers note, "Community policing calls for a new breed of police officer operationalizing a new professionalism based on democratic values such as participation and openness, rather than on technological values rooted in substantive expertise" (Gianakis & Davis, 1998, p. 485). Thus, police officers today face many challenges that officers did not face even a decade ago. They must be problem solvers as well as law enforcement professionals.

The Four Factors That Challenge Law Enforcement

Operational stress is one stress factor that can challenge any police officer, despite their length of time on the force and their ability to cope with the many factors of the job. Operational stress comes from dealing with the many tragedies that an officer encounters. For some, it may be the loss of a child to a molester, for others it may be a particularly horrible traffic accident they must investigate. These stressors never go away, and so, officers are particularly vulnerable to suffering from operational stress, especially after they must deal with a particularly tragic event. This can lead to a general feeling of detached cynicism that may be an officer's method of coping with these problems. The officer may become so detached that they no longer are empathetic or understanding of situations and citizens, and they may no longer react to horrific situations. This type of stress can lead to brutality toward suspects, because the officer no longer sees them as "human" or worth caring about.

Another major factor that can challenge law enforcement professionals are the "bad seeds" who may not be adaptable to new policing techniques, and who use unusual force or brutality as a way to maintain their authority. They may have poor attitudes due to organizational stress, such as dealing with paperwork, rules, regulations, and the everyday issues of being a police officer. They may represent the older officers on a force, who are resistant to change and do not want to learn new policing policies and methods. On the other hand, they may have experienced so much disrespect and violence in their careers that they no longer see their actions as violent or unprofessional. These officers represent a danger to the force because they can create a poor image of the police with the public, and they may bring additional violence to their suspects and themselves.

Clearly, these personalities can become brutal, but they may also lead to police corruption, because they have become cynical not only of the job, but of the general organization, and so, they no longer feel the need to follow the rules and regulations. They justify their actions by citing the stresses and dysfunctions of the organization, as if it justifies their corrupt or brutal behavior.

The external stress of the job is also an important factor in policing, and it is always present. For example, police officers are always dealing with emergencies, family disturbances, traffic accidents, criminals, and problems. Their days are always stressful, and the stress comes from handling their job and responding to a wide variety of situations every day. Police face danger every day, and they never know exactly where it will come from. Dealing with this stress is difficult, because many officers do not want to appear anything but in control and unfazed by their encounters.

External stress can lead to a variety of problems, from corruption to brutality and police crime. Again, officers justify their behavior by pointing to the stresses of the job, combined with poor equipment, low pay, and a variety of other factors that may combine to make them cynical and negative. They may steal evidence because they feel the property room will just misplace it anyway, or justify their behavior in some other way. Emotional stress can lead to a variety of negative behaviors, and it is clear that police officers are extremely vulnerable to the many stressors their jobs entail.

Personal stress from the job is also extremely common. This can come from personal relationships and relationships with other officers. For example, an officer is married with children, but because of the hours of the job, including unforeseen overtime and emergencies, the officer is rarely able to attend family social events, children's sporting events, school events, and the like. This creates stress in all the family relationships, and can breed resentment in the family as well. This type of stress can also lead to behavioral problems, such as shutting off the rest of society and only associating with those who "understand" - other police officers. In addition, some officers may become alcohol or drug abusers, or develop other problems or addictions.

Other Challenges

Police officers face many other challenges as they provide service to the community. Another challenge is the necessity to interpret the law. In effect, when police officers make arrests, they are interpreting the criminal codes and putting them into action. They must do this quickly and effectively, and these decisions can be difficult. In addition, they must use discretion in their decisions, to ensure they make the correct decision for every situation. For example, an officer pulls over a person for speeding, but decides to give them a warning rather than write a ticket. The officer has used discretion as part of his or her decision, in deciding whether to enforce the law or not. All officers use discretion in their decisions, because they interpret the situation and the citizen, the severity of the crime, and their knowledge of the criminal codes to decide whether to arrest a person or not.

It is clear that not every law on the books is enforceable, or it is desirable to enforce such laws. For example, many areas still have antiquated laws on their books that forbid actions such as swearing in public. Clearly, this law is no longer enforceable, and so, the officer uses selective discretion in not enforcing the antiquated law. Police officers have to make decisions like this often in a split second, and so, one of the most important tools an officer can have is the ability to think quickly and assesses situations very quickly, as well.

In addition, today's police officer faces different challenges from police officers of even two decades ago. One of these 21st century problems facing law enforcement is terrorism. Almost every community across the nation has some building or government location that could be considered a target of terrorism, and large metropolitan areas have many of these targets within their boundaries. Because of this, police models may have to change to be more involved in preventing terrorism from occurring, rather than responding once a terrorist act has been committed. Community policing can aid in this by allowing community police officers to become familiar with their neighborhoods and citizens, and knowing exactly what targets lay in their area. To create better police officers, training in terrorism and how to recognize typical terrorism suspects must be stepped up and addressed in all communities.

Perhaps the biggest challenge facing many officers is the use of deadly force. That issue recently came under public scrutiny with the shooting of a black man on the day of his wedding by a number of New York police officers. Some of the officers involved in the shooting have been charged with using too much force in connection with the incident. Most officers do not want to use their gun against a criminal, but understand the necessity of using that gun if it is absolutely necessary. Most new recruits learn about using restraint and how to recognize dangerous situations. In addition, many departments are issuing Tasers, stun guns, and/or pepper spray to officers in an attempt to control the use of deadly force except in the most demanding situations. The use of deadly force should not be taken lightly, and officers who are forced to shoot someone should always receive counseling and support from the department if the shooting was justified.

Two Strategies for Creating Better Police Officers

The issues of police criminality, corruption, and brutality seem never to go away. Another writer notes, "Of course, as long as police officers are human beings, there will always be individual cases of police corruption" (Leuci, 1999, p. 216). There is simply no way to eliminate every temptation and every person of questionable character. However, there are some strategies that can help create and improve law enforcement officers in the future.

One way to ensure these issues are not present in officers is to ensure they are not present in the department. Author Leuci continues, "Police officers' behavior is often defined by the behavior of others: their partners, their immediate supervisors, the more experienced and streetwise officers within their units, and, most important, their commanding officers" (Leuci, 1999, p. 218). Thus, a department must be scrupulously honest in every area, from narcotics to the patrols. A corrupt department staffed with commanding officers who look the other way when brutality or corruption occurs will only breed more of the same. Therefore, one strategy for new police officers is for the department to make sure that it is totally above board and "clean," and stays that way, so the new officers have no temptation or implied approval of bad behavior. This internal accountability may be the most important way to control the ethics and morality of the entire department. Ethics training of new officers would also help ensure that officers are sound mentally, psychically, and morally.