Policing by Way of Community, Research Paper Example

Policing By Way of Community

It was reported in 2014 that the amount of violent crimes in the United States was down by 0.2 percent. The statistics for property crime also decreased by just over four percent when compared with data released in 2013. While the decrease in crime is quite impressive, there is no reasonable evidence that suggests that such reduction was due to more police officers being out in the field. In fact, evidence from several authoritative figures in the industry proves that more police officers is by no means connected with fewer crimes. With such facts in ringing true, it makes little sense for departments to continue making strides towards increasing police presence in various neighborhoods throughout the country. Instead, it is vital for law enforcement authorities to build a relationship with residents within the communities that they serve.

The United States Department of Justice released its report on fear and crime in 2010 that spoke volumes about terror. According to the department, “While making people safe is perhaps the most important purpose of government, making them feel safe is nearly as important because fear has such negative ramifications for politics, economics, and social life” (9). The entity advised local enforcement agencies to work from a place of making citizens feel secure rather than from the space of being demanding administrators.

Gregory Brown would agree with this suggestion as his article ‘The Blue Line on Thin Ice: Police Use of Force Modifications in the Era of Camera phones and YouTube’ discusses the actions of police officers in the digital age. Brown tells readers that the constant presence of smartphones has changed the way that authorities interact with the public. Officers are now more conscious of the way they treat citizens for fear of being recorded and such footage going viral. To further drive home his theory, Brown conducted a study that involved residents and police officers in Toronto. According to the study,

“Videorecording capabilities across the citizenry and concurrent opportunities for the public to disseminate footage of police occurrences (and conduct) through online file-sharing are profoundly integrated into the consciousness of most rank-and-file officers and have influenced significant behavioural changes through the deterrence of certain practices, including moderations in police violence across a majority of study participants” (1).

In other words, police officers participating in the study were more inclined to treat civilian subjects fairly once they discovered that their actions were being filmed.

The mere fact that authorities involved with the experiment were only intimidated by the possibility of negative press, and not by the fact that their character would be jeopardized with poor service, alludes to the idea of relationships between officers and the public being strained. Even in the United States, various social uproars have been sparked by poor communication between the public and law enforcement. Such uproars have brought about more violence in the community despite a heavy police presence in the area. In fact, police presence has brought about more violence in these instances because of tension directed towards officials.

This is especially true in the African American community. According to Rod Brunson (2015), “Serious crime problems tend to cluster in places where people of color disproportionately reside” (507) . It is not that police presence is lacking in these areas. In fact, law enforcement authorities seen in urban neighborhoods more often than they are spotted in suburban communities. The problem with crime comes from an inherent distrust that residents have for those who are suppose to protect and serve them. Many African Americans living in urban neighborhoods do not assist officers in catching criminals for fear of becoming a suspect instead of a witness in the matter. On the other hand, residents in suburban neighborhoods gladly cooperate with officers when problems within the community arise.

Seeing as how crime in urban communities is higher than the rates in suburbia, it is worth looking at the relations that police officers have with residents in neighborhoods where unlawful acts are the norm.  The United States Department of Justice suggests law enforcement officials channel fear. The organization states, “Police departments need to begin measuring and analyzing fear of crime more systematically. During the past few decades, police have learned that they need crime analysis to target crime—the same goes for fear of crime. This often requires both community-wide and neighborhood-level surveys, but those are not the only methods for learning about fear. Community meetings, key individuals, environmental audits, and routine public contacts can also serve as very useful sources to learn about the concerns and worries of community residents. Once police have some information about fear of crime in the community, they can use it to identify demographic groups that are most affected, neighborhoods where fear is the highest, and other trends and patterns.”

Before departments consider adding additional officers to the field, they should study the neighborhoods that they serve. In many instances, they will discover that crimes can be solved more efficiently with community participation.

Since police officers are not capable of being in several areas at once, and certain crimes cannot be deterred by law enforcement presence alone, it is important for local departments to focus on community relations rather than increasing the number of patrolmen on the street. Officers who place more emphasis on making a positive impact in urban areas will notice an even greater decrease in crime. In addition, better relations will inevitably lead to more proactiveness as officers will not be forced to spend several hours investigating a crime so long as they have the public’s help in the matter. Policing by way of community should be the priority in reducing misconduct.

References

Brown, Gregory (2015). ‘The Blue Line on Thin Ice: Police Use of Force Modifications in the Era of Camera Phones and YouTube.’ Carleton University.

Brunson, Rod (2015). ‘Focused Deterrence and Improved Police-Community Relations.’ American Society of Criminology.

Cordner, Gary (2010). ‘Reducing Fear of Crime: Strategies for Policing.’ Kutztown University. United States Department of Justice.

Federal Bureau of Investigation. ‘2014 Crime in the United States.’ https://www.fbi.gov/news/stories/2015/september/latest-crime-stats-released/latest-crime-stats-released