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Essay Undergraduate 916 words

Comparing OMP, COP, and Reactive Policing Models

~5 min read 6 sections Law · Police Department
Abstract

This paper compares three policing models used by U.S. law enforcement agencies: order maintenance policing (OMP), community-oriented policing (COP), and reactive policing. OMP, rooted in broken windows theory, employs preventive strategies by increasing officer visibility in neglected neighborhoods. COP focuses on building trust and communication between police and community members. Reactive policing, the traditional model, dispatches officers only in response to reported incidents. The paper examines how each model approaches crime prevention and community engagement, and argues that all three models would benefit from rigorous crime analysis to evaluate their effectiveness and inform future policing strategies.

Key Takeaways
  • Introduction: Overview of three policing models compared
  • Order Maintenance Policing: Preventive model rooted in broken windows theory
  • Community-Oriented Policing: Building trust and engagement between police and community
  • Reactive Policing: Traditional response-only policing with limited community interaction
  • The Role of Crime Analysis: How data analysis can improve all three models
  • Conclusion: Summary of model differences and analytical recommendations
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What makes this paper effective

  • Clearly defines each policing model before comparing them, giving readers a solid conceptual foundation before analysis begins.
  • Grounds OMP in its theoretical origin — the broken windows theory of Wilson and Kelling — demonstrating an understanding of evidence-based policing literature.
  • Acknowledges a key criticism of OMP (racial bias concerns) without derailing the argument, showing balanced engagement with the scholarly debate.

Key academic technique demonstrated

The paper uses a compare-and-contrast structure with a common evaluative criterion — responsiveness to crime analysis — applied consistently across all three models. This technique allows the writer to move beyond simple description and toward analytical judgment about the relative strengths of each model.

Structure breakdown

The paper opens with a brief framing introduction, then dedicates a focused paragraph to each policing model in turn. A synthesis section addresses how crime analysis applies to all three models collectively. The conclusion restates the defining features of each model and identifies reactive policing as the one most likely to benefit from further quantitative study. The structure is tight and logically sequential, appropriate for a comparative analysis at the undergraduate level.

Essay 916 words

Introduction

Order maintenance policing (OMP), community-oriented policing (COP), and reactive policing are three distinct models used by law enforcement agencies in the United States. This paper compares these three models and discusses which would benefit most from effective crime analysis.

5 Sections Hidden · 670 words
Order Maintenance Policing185 words
OMP is a model of policing that stems from the broken windows theory, defined by Wilson and Kelling (1982). The broken windows theory holds that if a community allows itself…
Community-Oriented Policing95 words
Community-oriented policing encourages police to build relationships with the community and to work with community leaders to address neighborhood issues. The objective of this model is to bridge the gap between…
Reactive Policing165 words
Reactive policing is also known as traditional policing, and this model is based on the idea that police wait for a call to come in before being dispatched to the community to address a situation. As opposed to COP — in which police are already actively…
The Role of Crime Analysis105 words
All three models would benefit from effective crime analysis, as all three have been or are currently used in law enforcement. Studies that establish the effectiveness or lack of effectiveness of reactive…
Conclusion120 words
Order maintenance policing, community-oriented policing, and reactive policing are three models that law enforcement agencies use today. Order maintenance policing is a preventive model based on broken windows…

References

Fagan, J., Geller, A., Davies, G., & West, V. (2009). Street stops and broken windows revisited: The demography and logic of proactive policing in a safe and changing city. In S. K. Rice & M. D. White (Eds.), Race, Ethnicity, and Policing: New and Essential Readings. Columbia Public Law Research Paper No. 09-203.

Saint Claire. (2018). Policing models. Retrieved from http://saint-claire.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/Policing-Models.pdf

Wilson, J., & Kelling, G. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/03/broken-windows/304465/

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Key Concepts in This Paper
Broken Windows Theory Order Maintenance Policing Community-Oriented Policing Reactive Policing Crime Prevention Police Visibility Crime Analysis Proactive Policing Community Trust Law Enforcement Models
Cite This Paper
PaperDue. (2026). Comparing OMP, COP, and Reactive Policing Models. PaperDue. https://www.paperdue.com/study-guide/order-maintenance-community-reactive-policing-models-2169510

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