Proponents of community policing believe that this approach holds much promise in effectively dealing with youth crime. The idea of community policing, also known as neighborhood policing, is based upon interaction between the police and the community. Community policing is a “police strategy that emphasizes reducing fear, organizing the community, and maintaining order rather then fighting crime”. (Siegel, 2006, pp.395)
Community policing is a philosophy that makes perfect sense. Police officials tend to live in or nearby the communities in which they work. It is a very positive notion for these officers to be involved with the very members of the community that they protect. A key characteristic of community policing is the ongoing interaction between the police and the neighborhoods. A common sight in these areas are police officers who do not ride around in patrol cars, but rather “walk the beat” getting to know the people in their neighborhood and establishing relationships. They want shopkeepers and locals to feel comfortable with their presence and if a problem should arise, they will feel more comfortable bringing it to an officer’s attention. This is very important because trust of the people is something that can be earned by a daily presence and not merely won by making arrests. Another key characteristic is using officers who are completely unbiased, who leaves their personal beliefs and feelings at the door. The officers need to be able to connect with the people of the neighborhood and if they have biased opinions, the relationship process could be hindered. A major use of community policing is to deter juvenile crime. Their responsibilities include “being a visible and accessible component of the community and working with residents to address delinquency problems”. (Siegel, 2006, pp. 395)
The police departments who use community policing are involved with more community based work than departments that follow the traditional method of policing. Community policing differs from traditional policing in a few key ways. One philosophy of community policing is that “freeing officers from the emergency response system permits them to engage more directly in proactive crime prevention”. (Siegel, 2006, pp. 396) Instead of responding to emergencies as in the traditional model, the officers are already out there on the streets ready to take action. Another difference is that in “moving decision making to patrol officers places more authority in the hands of the people who know what is best for the community”. (Siegel, 2006, pp. 396) In moving this power to the officers on the beat instead of the headquarters actions are more likely going to be in the best interests of the neighborhood because it is the officers on the beat who are more informed of the problems and expectations. “Decentralizing operations allows officers to develop
Another successful program is the Boston Police Student/Youth Athlete Program. This program is excellent because it gets the youth involved with college athletes as mentors and friends. A lot of juveniles just need a little push in the right direction to keep them on track. This program is a positive way for youth to see that if they apply themselves in the correct manner they could one day serve as a role model for some other at-risk youth. This has potential to motivate juveniles to write their own success stories.
Boston Police Department. The Boston Strategy on Youth Violence: Intervention, Enforcement, Prevention. Office of Strategic Planning and Resource Development. Accessed March 27, 2008.
Siegel, L. J., Welsh, B. C., & Senna, J. J. (2006). Juvenile Delinquency: Theory, Practice and Law. 9th Ed. Belmont: Thomson Wadsworth.
What is Criminal Justice? 