This paper examines the three primary styles of law enforcement identified in policing scholarship: the watchman, service-oriented, and legalistic styles. Drawing on Talarico and Swanson's foundational 1978 typology, the paper compares how each style approaches law enforcement, community relations, and the treatment of minor offenses. It explores the philosophical underpinnings of each approach—from the legalistic view of universal law application to the service model's emphasis on community trust—and considers the watchman style as a pragmatic middle ground. The paper concludes by evaluating the real-world implications of each style for police-community relations and public respect for the law.
There are three main styles of law enforcement: the watchman, the service-oriented, and the legalistic. The watchman style emphasizes maintaining order, with the understanding that full enforcement of the law is not always possible. The service-oriented style focuses on assisting citizens, including the use of non-arrest measures when the situation calls for them. The legalistic style is focused on full enforcement of the letter of the law, operating on the belief that this delivers equal treatment under the law (Talarico & Swanson, 1978).
Perhaps one of the easiest ways to understand the differences between these 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 strict action, and such policing is often carried out with an eye toward legal punishment as well. On the other end of the spectrum is the service-oriented style. This style sees the police as having a role within the community while simultaneously being members of it. Police operating under this model therefore do not prioritize strict enforcement of the law, but instead seek to build trust within the community.
One of the ways this manifests is through a degree of leniency with minor crimes—seeking to engage with the community, create non-arrest solutions, and help build stronger communities without incarcerating people over minor offenses. The watchman style serves as something of a compromise, acknowledging 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 holds 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 styles. The legalistic style views the law as an absolute force in society, maintaining that fairness arises when the law is applied universally. People are expected to know the rules and should therefore not be surprised when they are subject to punishment for violating them. The degree of punishment for each crime should correspond to the nature of the offense, and because punishments exist, they should be applied to all who are found guilty. The philosophical challenge this creates, however, is that it produces a situation in which people may be punished for any mistake. Since most people make mistakes, they may develop less respect for the law—knowing that they will likely break it at some point—which in turn makes it harder for them to take the law seriously.
Many argue that the legalistic method of law enforcement creates significant mistrust of police in communities. Under this model, police are seen only as forces of punishment rather than as entities capable of doing good. Police therefore need to work to build trust within the communities they serve. This may require leniency on some aspects of the law, but it also allows people the freedom to make mistakes—something that some scholars believe will ultimately result in better behavior. A greater sense of justice takes hold in the community, and in particular the perception that the police department is an administrator of justice capable of building a better community by working with it, rather than simply punishing it.
"Examines how strict enforcement affects community relations"
"Watchman style as pragmatic compromise between extremes"
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