Over 70 percent of police agencies indicate that they have put the community-oriented policing (COPS) philosophy into practice, but some critics claim that they are failing to do it well. In this paper, we examine three core components of community policing (community involvement, problem solving, and organizational decentralization) and employ lessons from the academic sociological literature on these topics to inform how to improve the fit between philosophy and practice. We argue that applying lessons from sociology will make the implementation and practice of community policing more successful in meeting community needs, including reducing crime and fear of crime.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlpertGeoffrey P.FlynnDanielPiqueroAlex R.. 2001. “Effective Community Policing Performance Measures.”Justice Research and Policy3:79–94.
2.
BartolCurt R.2001. “Police Psychology: A Profession with a Promising Future.” Pp. 66–81 in Critical Issues in Policing, edited by DunhamRoger G.AlpertGeoffrey P.. 4th ed. Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
3.
BlauJudith R.AlbaRichard D.. 1982. “Empowering Nets of Participation.”Administrative Science Quarterly27:363–79.
4.
Bureau of Justice Statistics.2000. Local Police Departments. 1997. Washington, D.C.
5.
CohenLawrence F.FelsonMarcus. 1979. “Social Change and Crime Rate Trends: A routine Activities Approach.”American Sociological Review44: 588–608.
6.
CordnerGary W.2001. “Community Policing Elements and Effects.” Pp. 493–510 in Critical Issues in Policing, edited by DunhamRoger G.AlpertGeoffrey P.. 4th ed.Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
7.
DaftRichard L.1992. Organization Theory and Design.4th ed. New York: West.
8.
EckJohn E.SpelmanWilliam. 1987. “Who Ya Gonna Call? The Police as Problem Busters.”Crime & Delinquency33: 53–70.
9.
GreeneJack R.MastrofskiStephen D., eds. 1988. Community Policing: Rhetoric or Reality.New York: Praeger.
KhandwallaPradip N.1977. The Design of Organizations.New York: Harcourt, Brace and Jovanovich.
12.
KellingG.MooreM.1988. “The Evolving Strategy of Policing.”Perspectives on Policing, 4, Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice (November issue).
13.
KennedyDavid M.MooreMark H.. 2001. “Underwriting the Risky Investment in Community Policing: What Social Science Should Be Doing to Evaluate Community Policing.” Pp. 511–30 in Critical Issues in Policing, edited by DunhamRoger G.AlpertGeoffrey P.. 4th ed.Prospect Heights, IL: Waveland.
14.
KolodnyHarvey F.1979. “Evolution to a Matrix Organization.”The Academy of Management Review4: 543–53.
15.
LabSteven. 2000. Crime Prevention: Approaches, Practices, and Evaluations.4th ed.Cincinnati: Anderson.
16.
LangworthyRobertTravisLawrence. 2003. Policing in America. A Balance of Forces.3rd ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
17.
MacDonaldJohn M.2002. “The Effectiveness of Community Policing in Reducing Urban Violence.”Crime and Delinquency48:592–618.
OliverWillard M. [1998] 2004. Community-Oriented Policing: A Systemic Approach to Policing.Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
21.
ParkRobert E.1936. “Human Ecology.”American Journal of Sociology42: 1–15.
22.
ParkRobert E.BurgessErnest W.McKenzieRoderick D.. 1928. The City.Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
23.
SampsonRobert J.GrovesByron W.. 1989. “Community Structure and Crime: Testing Social-Disorganization Theory.”American Journal of Sociology94:774–802.
24.
SampsonRobert J.RaudenbushStephen W.EarlsFelton. 1997. “Neighborhoods and Violent Crime: A Multi-Level Study of Collective Efficacy.”Science277: 918–24.
25.
ScottW. Richard. 1998. Organizations: Rational, Natural, and Open Systems.Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
ShawCliffordMcKayHenry D.. [1942] 1969. Juvenile Delinquency and Urban Areas.Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
28.
ShermanLawrence W.GartinPatrick R.BuergerMichael E.. 1989. “Hot Spots of Predatory Crime: Routine Activities and the Criminology of Place.”Criminology27:27–55.
29.
SutherlandEdwin. 1947. Principles of Criminology.4th ed. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott.
30.
ThomasW.I.ThomasDorothy S.. 1928. The Child in America: Behavior Problems and Programs.New York: Knopf.
31.
TrojanowiczRobert C.BucquerouxBonnie. 1989. Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective.Cincinnati: Anderson.
32.
WalkerSamuel. 1999. Police in America: An Introduction.3rd ed.Boston: McGraw-Hill.
33.
WarrMark. 2001. “The Social Origins of Crime: Edwin Sutherland and the Theory of Differential Association.” Pp. 182–191 in Explaining Criminals and Crime, edited by PaternosterRaymondBachmanRonet. Los Angeles: Roxbury.
34.
WeberMax. 1968. Economy and Society.RothGuentherWittichClaus (trans. and ed.). New York: Bedminster.
WinfreeL. ThomasJr.BartkuGregory M.SeibelGeorge. 1996. “Support for Community Policing versus Traditional Policing among Non-Metropolitan Police Officers: A Survey of Four New Mexico Police Departments.”American Journal of Police15: 23–50.
