The concept of community policing has been around since the inception of police working in and with the community they serve. Sir Robert Peel, known as the father of modern policing, established the foundations for community policing. As policing grew, this idealistic concept was dusted off by Robert Trojanowicz who helped revolutionize what is known today as community policing.

Community policing is whenever the police and the community work together to solve or address problems that can or do cause crime. It can be as simple as one officer working with one person or as complex as a division within a police department working with a committee of community members on a constant basis to deal with issues surrounding crime. Each community has different criminal issues, as well as a different makeup than the next community.

The concept swept through this country, pushed by the Federal Government with grant money available to agencies, which could meet the guidelines, to get a chunk of the money allotted for the program. Money was at hand to continue what many officers and departments were already trying to do. These financial gains also lead to many agencies finding ways to work toward curbing problems and regaining trust within its community.

The bandwagon for community policing came to a screeching halt after 9/11. Money was shifted from community policing to homeland security and many programs that were started no longer could be supplemented by federal grant money. Guidelines for financial assistance from federal grants drastically changed, as did the regions where this money could go. The chances for a small agency in rural America having issues surrounding terrorism are nil compared to an agency in a large metropolitan area.

Crime is still a problem faced by all communities, but when the funding all but disappeared for community policing many had to go back to what they had been doing before the community policing drive. Law enforcement has, by the nature of the beast, been a reactive agency. Community policing is, for the most part, proactive.

In many areas, the concepts of community policing are no longer taught at police academies. Classes in community policing have given way to combating terrorism and homeland security. Natural disasters that have also plagued this country have also lead to mandatory training in disaster response. Rather than increase the number of hours required to become a police officer class schedules are shifted and rearranged to teach what is viewed as a top priority of the times.

New officers may get community policing training from a good field training officer but to see beyond the immediate crime to underlying causes and have the drive to correct a problem takes a dedicated person in that uniform. Of all the programs that come and go in law enforcement, the ones that strive and survive are the ones pushed by a leader who has a passion surrounding that program. Any correction to crime problems takes dedication, perseverance, time, resources and money.

Communities and law enforcement agencies may have their own priorities as well. An agency that does not have the budget to supply their officers with bullet proof vests may not view community policing as a top priority. Community leaders may need to focus on rebuilding a run down school before putting more money into the police budget. The money from the federal government was a way to supplement both budget and crime concerns within a community. Unfortunately this money is all but gone.

Learn more about this author, Karen Moore.
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