Community Policing

1278 Words3 Pages

Community policing represents a philosophy that emphasizes the proactive role of police in forming partnerships with community members to address public safety issues. This approach enhances trust, transparency, and collaboration between law enforcement agencies and their communities. The four dimensions of community policing include community partnership, problem-solving, organizational transformation, and problem-oriented policing (Cordner, 2014). The first dimension of community policing is community partnership. The community is an element of the police organizational environment; the community generates police activity and sets up the environment where police work must be done (Cordner, G. W. 2023). It involves building strong relationships, …show more content…

I believe that community policing, in general, is a vast topic to rate as being a success or a failure overall. It's always going to be a fluid method of policing that will have ups and downs. Chief Mangan's approach was to ensure the department's morale was first taken care of, and I see this as a significant piece in any workplace environment you enter. If morale is down, so is activity, no matter where you are career-wise. Chief Mangan spent the first year ensuring that the department had better equipment, then sat down with officers and supervisors to garner ideas about what they could do better regarding community policing and the department overall. Chief Mangan also set department values and used the FBI, initially stating that it stood for fidelity, bravery, and integrity (Cordner, G. W., 2023). He took that and thought of using Service, Pride, and Dedication for SPD (Cordner, G. W., 2023). I believe having department values is a significant step in getting the department on track with where you want to go, and it gives every officer an extra reason why they're doing it. Towards the end, I believe that he was taking a wrong turn by not having a chain of command sequence followed, skipping superiors within that command to speak with officers directly, and telling them to focus more on community policing. With the sergeant wanting to increase his stats, the sergeant …show more content…

Reasons for exercising discretion may include maintaining public order, protecting individual rights, or promoting community well-being. Other factors affecting an officer’s decision may include personal biases, previous experiences, and situational dynamics. While discretion allows officers to adapt to diverse situations, inconsistencies in its application can lead to concerns about fairness and accountability. However, eliminating the ability to exercise discretion may hinder officers’ ability to respond effectively to complex and unpredictable situations, suggesting that a balanced approach is needed to ensure accountability while maintaining flexibility (Cordner, 2014; Rosenbaum & Yeh, 2012). I do not believe the ability to exercise discretion should be taken away. Currently, being a police officer, I think discretion is an essential tool, especially when you're speaking of community-oriented policing. Specific laws within Tennessee and other states explicitly state whether an officer has discretion. For example, in the state of Tennessee, with a domestic assault, which is a class A misdemeanor, there is no discretion, and an arrest shall be made. Felonies also do not have any discretion, and if a felony has been committed, you need to make an arrest; aside from that, I

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