The Evolution of Community Policing in America

Community policing in the United States evolved from early, one-dimensional reactive models to increasingly proactive, collaboration-oriented strategies designed to build trust and combat the causes of crime. This constitutes the cornerstone of modern law enforcement, shaped through historical events, shifts in ethos, and landmark legislation.

Historical Background: The Roots of Community Policing

Community policing as a concept began to take shape in the 1980s with the emergence of the limitations of traditional law enforcement, which focused on rapid response rather than the prevention of crime. However, its seeds were sown much earlier, especially during the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Impact of the Civil Rights Movement—The civil rights movement drew national attention toward racial injustices, especially in terms of policing. Widespread protests, riots, and conflicts between law enforcement and underprivileged communities underlined the growing need for police-community relations to be reviewed and brought into line with citizens. Quite clearly, the old model of policing—one that usually resorted to militarized responses in the face of civil unrest—could do little to resolve deeper problems of inequality and discrimination. This laid the groundwork for new models of policing to emerge, including community-based policing based on trust and cooperation among officers and residents.

Early Experiments—Against a background of growing tension, some early varieties of community policing began to appear during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Team policing took many forms, yet often officers would be assigned to the same neighborhoods so that they could become familiar with and, it was hoped, trusted by those who lived and worked there. These experiments met internal police department and community resistance and, eventually, led to the abandonment of team policing. It wasn't until the 1980s that community policing received greater, more formal consideration as an effective strategy in law enforcement.

Philosophical Shifts: From Reactive to Proactive Policing

The watershed moment came in the 1980s when the police forces began to adopt proactive problem-solving in tandem with forming partnerships with the community. This philosophy of policing was surely quite different from the earlier reactive policing that had been the dominant philosophy for so many years.

Proactive Problem Solving—Community policing places more emphasis on conditions that create the underlying problems which prompt criminal activities, rather than reacting to individual incidents. The approach calls for police officers to interact intimately with members of the community in identifying and solving problems well in advance before they become bigger criminal problems. Through collaboration with residents, officers are in a better position to fathom specific neighborhood challenges and arrive at solutions.

Building Trust and Partnerships—The philosophy of community policing recognizes the importance of trust from the public and, further, the building of partnerships with them. This implies frequent interaction, clarity, and mutual respect. Officers are encouraged to interact with community members both in crisis situations and at routine times, such as through attendance at local events or open forums. These efforts help break down barriers, reduce fear, and build a sense of shared responsibility for public safety.

Organizational Transformation—These approaches entailed significant organizational adjustment of the police forces. Decision-making was made less centralized and was pushed to the local levels in ways that allowed or even encouraged local officers to be more proactive and sensitive to neighborhood needs. Such adjustments, therefore, necessitated a series of changes along the lines of training, management, and general police culture as departments moved away from hierarchical structures focused only on crimes to those embracing community engagement.

Key Milestones in the Evolution of Community Policing

Several legislative and policy initiatives have played critical roles in developing and expanding community policing in the United States.

President's Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice (1967)—Its groundbreaking recommendation was that police departments needed to be responsive to the needs of their communities. This commission spelled out very clearly that police needed to shift from their traditional role of crime fighting toward improved relations with the public. These recommendations laid the groundwork in developing community policing strategies for subsequent decades.

Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act (1994)—This marked one of the landmark steps to formalize community policing when, in 1994, the Crime Bill established the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, most commonly referred to as the COPS Office within the U.S. Department of Justice. The COPS Office has provided major funding for community policing, training, and technical assistance to police departments seeking to form partnerships with communities. Since its inception, the COPS Office has invested billions of dollars in grants to cities and towns of all sizes, providing much-needed resources to hire community policing professionals and advance innovative strategies.

COPS Office Initiatives—Over the years, through grants, research, and technical assistance, the COPS Office has continued to support community policing. Such initiatives have assisted law enforcement agencies throughout the country in their efforts to develop and refine their community policing models. These models focus on building trust within the community, solving local problems, and dealing with issues like substance abuse, gang violence, and youth crime.

Community Policing in the 21st Century—Community policy has grown over the years to include those things that are felt pertinent for today's society. The model today strongly reflects equity, transparency, and accountability. In response to recent social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, there has been a new direction toward reforming police practices to ensure equality in the treatment of all citizens, especially in communities that have been marginalized throughout history. In addition, technology has afforded the police new opportunities to communicate with the general public. Neighborhood-oriented apps, social networking sites, and a host of other digital tools have enabled officers to talk to residents, share information, and receive feedback directly and more quickly than ever before. Community policing dynamics are also helped with these tools.

A Collaborative Future

Community policing in the United States mirrors the broader evolution of law enforcement that is collaborative and based on trust. Emphasizing proactive problem-solving, community engagement, and organizational transformation, it has become the linchpin in effective policing strategies today. Of course, challenges remain, with much work to be done, especially around overcoming some of the entrenched distrust among some communities, but continued attention to transparency, equity, and accountability will ensure that community policing remains at the forefront of efforts toward creating safer and more inclusive neighborhoods across the country. As society evolves, so must the relationship between law enforcement and those whom they serve.