The Three Styles of Policing

Policing Styles There are three main styles of law enforcement -- the watchman, the service-oriented and the legalistic. The watchman style emphasizes maintaining order, but with the understanding that full enforcement of the law is not possible. The service-oriented style focuses on assisting citizens, including non-arrest measures when the situation calls for them. The legalistic style is focused on full enforcement of the letter of the law, believing that this delivers equal treatment under law (Talarico & Swanson, 1978).

Perhaps one of the easiest ways to understand the differences between these different styles is their adherence to the letter of the law. The legalistic department is focused on full enforcement, to the point where even minor crimes receive full enforcement and such policing is often done with an eye to legalistic punishment as well. On the other end of the spectrum is the service-oriented style. This style sees the police as having a role in the community while at the same time being members of the community.

The police therefore do not need strict enforcement of the law, but to build trust within a community. One of the forms that this takes is a certain leniency with minor crimes, seeking to engage with the community, create non-arrest solutions and help to build stronger communities without throwing people in jail over minor offenses. The watchman style is something of a compromise, understanding that full enforcement is very difficult to attain, but that the service element can be difficult to implement in a fair and even-handed manner.

The watchman style believes that there is a need to enforce the laws, but may be willing to compromise on total enforcement. These practical differences arise from philosophical differences between the different styles. The legalistic style sees the law is an absolute force in society, and that fairness arises when the law is applied universally. People are expected to know the rules, and therefore should not be surprised when they are subject to punishment for violating the rules.

The degree of punishment for each crime should be related to the nature of the crime, but because there are punishments, they should be meted out to all who are found guilty. The issue philosophically is that it creates a situation where people are going to be punished for making any mistake. Since most people make mistakes, they may feel less respect for the law because they know that one day, they will break the law, which in turn means it is harder to take the law seriously.

There are many who feel that the legalistic method of law enforcement creates great mistrust of law enforcement in communities. Police are only seen as forces of bad, not as entities who can do good. Police therefore need to work to build trust within the communities. This may require leniency on some aspects of the law, but that also allows people the freedom to make mistakes, which some believe will result in better behavior.

There is a greater sense of justice in the community, and in particular that the police department is an administrator of justice, capable of building a better community by working with it, rather than by punishing it. The watchman approach is the compromise between these two. Philosophically, it fits as a more hardline version of the service approach. The objective for the watchman is to ensure that.