Theories of Policing & Strategies of Policing SOC 351 Exam 1

community-oriented policing (COP)

an attempt to harness the advantages of foot patrol and generalize them throughout all police field services; there’s an emphasis on broken-windows theory and a focus on minor crime, disorder and fear of crime

evidence-based policing

police departments should adopt the practices with the strongest evidence of effectiveness; if they don’t they aren’t being effective and wasting resources

problem-oriented policing (POP)

a law enforcement strategy that aims to prevent crime by addressing the underlying causes of crime

prevention emphasis

emphasizes a more proactive and preventative orientation, better use of police officers time and resources, encouraged to look beyond individual incidents and check for underlying problems and conditions

flexible operations

provides officers with the freedom to engage in practices that achieve the traditional goals while also promoting ideals of community policing

predictive policing

anticipates the "where and when" so police can engage in preventative and preemptive policing

problem solving

techniques used to gain deeper insight into issues that police address, more tailored individual responses

differential police response

categorizing requests for services and matches the requests with different police responses

intelligence-led policing

reduce crime where crime analysis and criminal intelligence are used to guide police activities and priorities

crime analysis

used to understand the nature and extent of crime across various boundaries as well as the most efficient/ effective way to respond to crimes

what the studies identified in Rohberg, Kelling and Wilson

Kansas city patrol studies and the response time studies

Kansas City Patrol Study

proactive (increased patrol), reactive (minimal patrol), and control groups (normal level of patrol); suggested that traditional preventative patrol was not as effective

community policing as described by prof Gillham

response to civil disorder and police violence; improved police and citizen relationships and effectively reduced crime

community policing as described by Kelling and Moore

emphasis on community, authorization, and legitimacy; police function is broadened, organization is decentralized, better relationships with citizens are created and demand is decentralized

community policing as described by Rohberg

has 3 dimensions

1. tactical

2. philosophical

3. strategic

what are the components of the philosophical dimension of community policing

citizen input, broad function, and personalized service

what are the components of the strategic dimension of community policing

flexible operations, geographic focus, and prevention emphasis

what are the components of the tactical dimension of community policing

positive interaction, partnerships, and problem-solving

what are the modern “police strategies” of COP and POP?

predictive policing and intelligence-led policing

strengths of problem-oriented policing?

bigger impact on whole problems city-wide, broader scope, deeper analysis and more wide-ranging solutions

limitations of problem-oriented policing?

it takes time and requires data and skills that are not available to every police organization, it also conflicts with styles and cultures of policing in many agencies

strengths of predictive policing

objective decision making

limitations of predictive policing

discrimination, lack of transparency

strengths of intelligence-led policing

crime reduction, use of public information and eliminating bias

limitations of intelligence-led policing

over-policing and privacy concerns

strengths of the political era

police integrated into society and provided useful services to the community

weaknesses of the political era

closeness to political leaders, decentralized organization contributed to corruption

strengths of the reform era

a narrow focus on crime-fighting had some success, impartiality, and professionalization reduced discretion and increased potential for legitimacy

weaknesses of the reform era

the focus on crime-fighting didn’t have a significant success, the fear of crime increased and minorities were being treated unfairly

strengths of community-oriented policing

potential for reconnecting with citizens, reduces fear for some, improves public satisfaction and police legitimacy for some

weaknesses of community-oriented policing

only displaces problems temporarily, used to rationalize “preventative” actions to reduce disorder, no training or rewards for officers

What is the “broken windows theory”

the idea that visible disorder encourages more serious crimes

How does the broken windows theory parallel to COP

It emphasizes proactive measures to address minor offenses and build community relations to prevent crime

The shortcomings of COP and brokenwindows theory

These lead to an excessive policing of marginalized communities

The violent crime control and law enforcement act of 1994

Provided funding for community policing, the goal was to reduce drug crimes with quality of life policing

How were the allotted funds for the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement of 1994 used?

In 1994: $9.7 billion allotted to prison’s, $6.1 billion allotted to prevention programs

1998: $1.6 billion to train, get technologies to detect and transport drugs

2015: $208 million