Police Field Operations: Theory Meets Practice

While I do believe that reactive policing can have preventative effects, they are often limited when compared to that of proactive policing. There are certain situations where a reactive officer can be effective and help prevent future criminal activity in an area. However, the steps taken by a proactive officer can largely improve upon the effectiveness in

Herman Goldstein originally announced the policing method, Problem-Oriented Policing or POP in 1979 (Braga, 2010). The topic of Problem-Oriented Policing has been a very controversial debated throughout the years and whether or not the approach had a positive effect on policing and crime prevention. I personally think its beneficial to stay on a positive tract to approaching crime in different ways, but also advance theory’s of methods of policing and crime

Community policing has evolved to be the most used strategy for policing. “It is an approach to crime detection and prevention that provides police officers and supervisors with new tools for addressing recurrent problems that plague communities and consume a majority of police agency time and resources” (Peak, 2012, 65). It has been defined by various people differently. But all the definitions have similar principles (Chappell, 2009). They focus on proactive problem solving and create relationships with the community to address any issue that may arise. Community policing is a combination of client-oriented and problem-oriented policing.

Gaines, L., & Kappeler, V. (2011). Policing in America (7th ed., p. 194). Waltham: Anderson Publishing.

This type of policing is reactive where police officers patrol communities looking for crimes that have or are occurring. This style of policing allows for all suspects to be treated the same regardless of criminogenic factors. This type of policing leads to higher arrests and can be used as a deterrent due to high numbers of people talking about the police catching their crimes. This type of policing is effective when focusing on tackling a specific crime that is causing great numbers of harm to societies as seen with initiatives on gun violence, drinking and driving or drug trafficking. This type of policing limits corruption, which can be seen in policing approaches where close community interactions can lead to bias an unfair treatment. However, traditional policing is not without drawbacks. This type of policing leaves no room for discretion leading to us viruses them mentality from not only the general population but the officers as well. The police officers will no longer see themselves as apart of the community but above the community they are apart of. Reactive policing does not address issues of the community problems; it only creates a temporary superficial solution to greater problems. Community policing works with the public to police as well as prevent crimes, which is not seen in traditional policing. Although community policing seems idea, there should be a policing approach that handles most crimes without bias as well as works with the

The early policing era was based off the English structure. The early police system was reactionary and they only responded when a request was made by a victim or witness. In the last half of the nineteenth century, the Sheriff used the concept of Posse

Rather than reacting to crime simply after it takes place, community policing fundamentally inspires agencies to improve some results that will instantaneously help with the ultimate situation contributing in the course of public safety problems. Problem solving must be necessary to show infused concern in all police operations and guidelines in reference to decision making process. Agencies are optimistic when it comes down to intelligent thinking with reference to their reactions and in their assessment when making uniform arrests has been only one of a wide selection of awaiting responses or decision making

In their study, Wilson and Kelling projected that “police departments change their focus. Instead of channeling most resources into solving major crimes, they should instead try to clean up the streets and maintain order such as keeping people from smoking pot in public and cracking down on subway fare beater. Secondly, the police officers need to be more proactive in preventing crime. The police officers need to get out and do the hard work of foot patrolling and community policing” (Kelling& Wilson,1982). However, the broken windows style of policing only affected the minority and poor residents of the area because law enforcements ordering residents to repair the broken windows, graffiti artists were ordered to scrub the walls clean of those buildings, and drunks where kick of the street without given no help.

The two most useful police tactics that need to be implemented in the Chicago Police Department are focused deterrence policing and hot spot policing. Focused deterrence policing focuses on bringing police and community groups together to signal major legal consequences of violence especially relating to a person's previous criminal record. Social services can also be offered to help someone stop living a dangerous lifestyle. Hot spot policing deploys police intelligently in specific areas with high crime rates which has a large impact on fighting crime and violence. This is an effective way to reduce crime without displacing it.

In countless areas there are higher crime rates, and often specific locations stand out and require additional services. Police agencies have spent years trying to find the perfect technique for equally distributing effected resources to advance hot spots. The Mabry agency which is in Harmony, Florida is no different, since their crime rates are on the rise. Which is why we are implementing a new policing program that involves hot spots, and a planned outcome evaluation. The purpose for using hot spot policing in the town of Mabry is to simply cut down the amount of crime in those hot spot areas and the surrounding areas, by adding additional patrol vehicles and officers. This strategy is based on programs such as the broken windows

Being a police officer in general is difficult in this day and age, any slight amount of support would benefit greatly. Proactive policing strategies is exactly the type of assistance that law enforcement need. Proactive policing is a practice in place in order to help deter criminal activity. This is done by showing a police presence in communities preventing a crime from take place, it aids in maintain order, and gives people the sense of safety. Our book, Criminal Justice in America, explains why this type of police work is beneficial “Because they are mainly reactive, the police usually arrive at the scene only after the crime has been committed and the perpetrator has fled” ((Cole et al., 2016. P. 155).

For the police to achieve positive goals within the community they must know the three main components of community policing. The three main components of community policing are community partnership, problem-solving, and change management (Bohm & Haley, 2014, p. 227). Chapter six states that community partnership is the first and main component that must be installed because officers want mutual trust between them and the community. Problem-solving is stated in chapter six to be the community and officers working together to point out an issue and implement a solution. The last component listed, change management, is trying to find something that will work a flexible style of management.

Figure 1 in the chapter showed two columns. One column contained different ways police officers act in public and when each form should be used. For example open stance or defense stance must be used when police officers must show authority. Another example force like OC, escort hold or other force forms must be used when individuals are resistance and possess possible threat. And of course the last force of authority is use of deadly force which only must be used to stop dangerous threat.

They also, of course, respond to dispatch calls of crimes in progress. Crime prevention is achieved through mere police presence. Negative interaction between the community and police is generally the norm. In communities policing, on the other hand, police officers are typically assigned to specific geographic areas in their jurisdiction and establish ties with the various community groups. These groups may include ministerial (church) associations, neighborhood associations, youth groups, etc. The idea is that when police are involved with the community they are not viewed as outsiders who are there simply to enforce the law. Crime prevention is achieved through positive interaction with police and the community. The goals of community policing are to reduce crime and disorder, promote citizens’ quality of life in communities, reduce fear of crime, and improve police–citizen relations. These goals are achieved through three essential efforts: community engagement, problem solving, and organizational transformation. In other words, the police are the public and the public are the police.

Traditional policing models had very little input from the community they were supposed to serve; the shift of the officer tended to be quite repetitive in nature. Traditional policing was reporting to work, loading up in the patrol car, driving around for hours awaiting a call for service needed and then filing a report or arresting an alleged criminal. Typically just waiting for a call that a crime had possibly occurred is wholly reactive to crime control. That is a gritty summation of traditional policing which was the norm for police departments for many decades. Community policing is considered more proactive than traditional policing; and at its’ core, community policing should be an interactive collaboration of all