Community Oriented Policing Essay

Community-oriented policing (COP) and problem-oriented policing (POP) are well known in concepts within the law enforcement circles. You may have heard of these terms before or this is possibly the first time you are hearing of them. Each of the concepts have been around for many, many years with supporters and opponents for each. Are they the answer to societies problems? Being a police officer for nearly seven (7) years, on the front line per say, I have a unique opportunity to have participated in both of these concepts and can speak of my experiences. This paper will dive into the ideas behind these concepts, there differences, and which I believe to be more effective. Before we start we must take a deeper look into the ideas behind

The outcome of these operations affect the quality of life as well however. Now that we have explored the ideas behind each of the concepts, let’s look at the main differences between the two. As I have previously stated the goal of each is the same, to enhance the quality of life within communities. Community-oriented policing believes the way to accomplish this is through community engagement, with the goal being gaining trust within a community. The concept believes this ultimately leads to a reduction in crime as the community feels the law enforcement officers actually care about making a difference and few them as members of the community versus just law enforcement officers. On the opposite side of the street, problem-oriented policing believes the focus should be on the crime or problem. The concept believes combating the actual problem is what reduces the crime and enhances the quality of life. However, with this method the appearance is sometimes given that law enforcement does not care about the community because they aren’t engaging the community as much as the other concept. I have been in law enforcement for the last ten (10) years, with seven (7) of those

For example, I will use traffic enforcement through the use of unmarked patrol vehicles. I use this example because I am currently assigned to my agencies traffic division and we conduct enforcement through this method. Some people believe this defeats the purpose of what our goal is and we are trying to “entrap” people and generate revenue. However, we specifically look for drivers showing no regard for other motorists, i.e., reckless and/or aggressive drivers. Using unmarked vehicles allows us to catch more of these drivers because we blend in with other vehicles. The overwhelming majority of these driver’s cease their behavior once they spot a marked vehicle. This same concept applies to operations targeting burglars or car thieves.

I refer to community-oriented policing as nothing more than smoke and mirrors, meaning all these community events aimed at partnership are only throwing smoke in everyone’s face because they do nothing to actually reduce crime. I completely agree with the concept and believe these programs should not be removed and should remain a part of law enforcement agencies. However, I do believe that the primary focus should be on aggressive, proactive