Improving Police Community Relations through Community Policing

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Improving Police - Community Relations through
Community Policing

• National Crime Prevention Council
• 2006

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Objectives

• Define community policing and its principles
• Describe the benefits and the importance of
  citizen involvement
• Identify strategies for effective communication
• Identify the six factors for improving police
  community relations
• Describe the benefits of Neighborhood Watch

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Crime Prevention as a Bridge

• Crime Prevention efforts reduce polarization that
  sometimes exists between police and citizens.
• Community Policing, Neighborhood Watch, Orange
  Hat Patrols, Weed Seed, and McGruff programs
  build a bridge that enables residents and law
  enforcement to communicate, collaborate, and work
  together to build safer, more caring communities.

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Community Policing

• A policing philosophy that promotes and supports
  organizational strategies to address the causes
  of crime, to reduce the fear of crime and social
  disorder through problem-solving tactics and
  community-police partnerships.
• - Community Oriented Policing
• Services Office

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The 8 Ps of Community Policing
A PHILOSOPHY of full service, PERSONALIZED POLICIN
G, where the same officer PATROLS and works in
the same area on a PERMANENT basis, from a
decentralized PLACE, working in PARTNERSHIP with
citizens to identify and solve PROBLEMS.
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Community Policing

• The philosophy rests on the belief that
  law-abiding citizens in the community have the
  responsibility to participate in the police
  process. It also rests on the belief that
  solutions to todays contemporary community
  problems demand freeing both community residents
  and law enforcement to explore creative ways to
  address neighborhood concerns beyond a narrow
  focus on individual crimes.

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Sir Robert PeelConsidered a father of law
enforcement

• Are his principles of policing still applicable
  today?
• Absolutely!

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Sir Robert Peels Nine Principles of Policing

• 1. The basic mission for which the police exist
  is to prevent crime and disorder.
• 2. The ability of the police to perform their
  duties is dependent upon public approval of
  police actions.
• 3. Police must secure the willing cooperation of
  the public in voluntary observance of the law to
  be able to secure and maintain the respect of the
  public.

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Sir Robert Peels Nine Principles of Policing
(cont.)

• 4. The degree of cooperation of the public that
  can be secured diminishes proportionally to the
  necessity of the use of force.
• 5. Police seek and preserve public favor not by
  catering to public opinion but by constantly
  demonstrating absolute impartial service to the
  law.
• 6. Police use physical force to the extent
  necessary to secure observance of the law or to
  restore order only when the expertise of
  persuasion, advice, and warning is found to be
  insufficient.

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Sir Robert Peels Nine Principles of Policing
(cont.)

• 7. Police at all time should maintain a
  relationship with the public that gives reality
  to the historic tradition the police are public
  and the public are the police. The police being
  only full-time individuals charged with the
  duties that are incumbent on all of the citizens.
• 8. Police should always direct their actions
  strictly towards their functions and never appear
  to usurp the powers of the judiciary.
• 9. The test of police efficiency is the absence
  of crime and disorder, not the visible evidence
  of police action in dealing with it.

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Normative Sponsorship Theory

• The more the various groups share common values,
  beliefs, and goals, the more likely it is that
  they will agree on common goals.

• Most people are of good will.

• They will cooperate with others to facilitate
• the building of consensus.

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Critical Social Theory

• Enlightenment-Give information

• Empowerment-Take action to improve conditions

• Emancipation-People can achieve through social
  action

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Community relationships provide

• Worth in social value
• A more informed citizenry
• Example to young people and others
• Added value
• Opportunity to learn about law enforcement while
  working with law enforcement
• Learning about citizens concerns

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How Do People View the Police?
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Agencies Opening Their Doors to Citizens through
Citizen Police Academies

• Why can it be important?
• Who can it benefit?

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Philosophy of the Citizen Police Academy

• Agency size and demographics can sometimes create
  barriers between the police and those they serve.
• Community policing is paramount to the
  effectiveness of crime reduction.
• Police Image There are many misconceptions to
  dispel.

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Philosophy of the Citizen Police Academy (cont.)
Who Will Benefit from It? EVERYONE!

• Community
• Police
• Business

• Schools
• Government
• Youth

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Philosophy of the Citizen Police Academy (cont.)
What They Accomplish

• Improved Cooperation
• Less Apathy
• Reduction in Crime
• Reduction in Fear of Crime

• Better Communications
• Improved Police Image
• Clear Understanding

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Introduction to Volunteers in Police Service

• Foundations of the VIPS Program
• 2002 Presidential initiative
• Department of Justice and IACP responsibilities
• Concept
• Volunteers from the community
• Expanding law enforcement to the community

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Volunteers in Police Service (cont.)

• Why they are needed
• Ease demands on law enforcement
• Encourage a more informed citizenry
• Provide an example to young people
• Improve cooperation and understanding between the
  police and their community

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Considerationsof Community Interaction

• How community volunteers can be used within their
  community
• Legal issues
• Safety issues
• Expertise issues

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Community/Police Needs and Support

• Filling needs with volunteers
• Coordinating position
• Prerecruitment action required
• Role of the International Association of Chiefs
  of Police
• Match volunteers to the organizations strategic
  plan
• Possible volunteer positions (adapt to local
  needs)

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Recruiting and Marketing

• Recruitment strategy
• Who is your target?
• Develop a plan
• Recognize important existing networks and tap in
• Churches, PTAs, community councils, Kiwanis,
  Rotarians, etc.
• Elementary and secondary schools
• Youth, courts, citizen police academies

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Recruiting and Marketing (cont.)

• Develop organizational marketing materials
• Websites
• Brochures
• Fliers/handouts/fact sheets
• Store window posters
• Ads in local papers
• Cable channel access

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Recruiting and Marketing (cont.)

• Media assistance
• Public service announcements
• News releases
• Prerecruitment strategy
• Secure top management buy-in
• Develop organization marketing materials

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What does a citizen need to know before
volunteering?

• Position description
• Time commitment
• Defined program activities
• Direct supervisor
• Website access for personal record of
  service/journal
• How long should volunteers serve?
• Age criteria
• Citizen police academy attendance prior to
  service

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Police Agency Management and Administrative Issues

• Agency mission, objectives, and goals
• Define the agencys mission, objectives, and
  goals
• Volunteer concept and political consideration
• Volunteer objectives and goals within agency
  mission
• Clear and specific department guidelines for
  volunteers

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VIPS Management and Administrative Issues

• Develop a prerecruitment strategy according to
  the VIPS goal to help resource-constrained
  agencies
• Internal management responsibilities
• External management responsibilities
• Who can manage the program
• Training issues
• Liability issues
• Funding issues

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• Strategies for Effective Communication

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Trust Building Model
GREATER SUCCESS !

GREATER FLEXIBILITY AND RANGE OF SOLUTIONS
RELATIONSHIP AND PARTNERSHIP BUILDING
EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
TRUST
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The Communication Process

• Message cues
• Listener supplies meaning
• Content
• Relate to your audience/build rapport

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The Communication Process (cont.)

• One-way or two-way communication
• Verbal/nonverbal cues
• Physical appearance
• Solicit student engagement and participation by
  using open-ended questions and feedback.

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Nonverbal Communication Considerations

• Facial expression
• Tone of voice
• Eye contact
• Touch

• Personal space
• Territoriality
• Time

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Building Trust Through Effective Communication

• Effective Listening
• Listen to learn and understand, not to challenge
  or persuade.
• Take turns and listen for FACTS and FEELINGS.
  (Both are important.)

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• Six Factors Necessary To Improve
  Police-Community Relations

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The Six Factors

• Membership
• Environment
• Process/Structure
• Communications
• Purpose
• Resources

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Membership

• Appropriate cross-section of members
• Mutual respect, understanding, and trust
• Members see that collaboration is in their best
  interest.
• Members develop an ability to compromise.

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Environment

• Political and social climate are favorable.
• Collaborative group is viewed as a leader in the
  community.
• There is a history or evidence of collaboration
  or cooperation in the community.

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Process/Structure

• Members are invested in the process as well as
  the outcome.
• Clear roles and responsibilities
• Flexibility
• Adaptability
• Equal decision-making authority is held by each
  member regardless of rank, authority, or place in
  the hierarchy.

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Communication

• Members learn to listen and allow venting.
• There is open and frequent communication.
• Members disclose self-interest at first meeting.
• Members establish informal and formal means of
  communication.

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Purpose

• Concrete, attainable goals and objectives
• Shared vision
• Desired results and strategies

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Resources

• A skilled and unbiased convener
• Staff time and volunteer time
• Sufficient funds

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CRIME IN YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD

• A lack of community involvement may lead to some
  of the most serious and perplexing problems your
  community faces.

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Why is Community Involvement Important?

• When members of a community are involved
• with each other, they know
• Their neighbors
• The daily goings-on in the neighborhood
• When something is wrong

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One great way to perpetuate community involvement
is through the Neighborhood Watch program
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What is the Neighborhood Watch program?

• Neighborhood Watch was established in 1970 to
  bring residents together to interact and become
  the guardians for the police in their community.
  

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Neighborhood Watch

• Crime prevention group organized around a block,
  defined neighborhood, or business district
• Serves as eyes and ears for law enforcement
• Helps establish/reclaim informal control of an
  area by observation, visibility, and increased
  social interaction
• Donates time and resources
• Usually has no formal budget or funding source
• Success results in reduction in crime and
  improved quality of life for neighborhood
  residents

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The Benefits of Neighborhood Watch

• Studies show Neighborhood Watch is effective
  because it
• Brings neighbors together around a common cause
  safety and security
• Provides basic skills to all members on
  preventing crime and reporting suspicious
  activity or crimes
• Builds a base for action to correct neighborhood
  problems
• Works well with other civic associations

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Additional Citizen Actions

• Discuss your communitys overall security,
  including lighting, and contact neighbors or the
  proper authorities to request necessary
  improvements.
• Contact your local law enforcement agency and
  work with it to discuss basic community
  modifications that may overcome current problems.

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Are state crime prevention associations and
Neighborhood Watch programs involved in community
policing and homeland security?
Absolutely!
As citizens, we all share the responsibility for
reporting and preventing terrorism in our
communities. We can be alert and aware of those
activities in our neighborhood that may have
links to terrorist and criminal behavior.
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How can citizens be more aware?

• Be informed Read the newspaper, listen to or
  watch local and national news reports, and attend
  community meetings.
• Be alert Be familiar with your environment at
  home, school, work, church, and social events.
• Be prepared Have a prepared family plan for
  emergencies. Create a family first aid kit,
  attend crime prevention classes, and get involved
  with your local law enforcement and crime
  prevention associations.

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In Conclusion

• Community policing is the responsibility of both
  law enforcement AND community members. BOTH have
  important roles in community policing.
• There are many ways to involve the community in
  crime-reduction and problem solving, including
  community meetings and citizen police academies.
• Police and local citizens are ALL members of the
  community.

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Questions and Answers
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Special Thanks to

• Tri-State RCPI
• for providing their materials for this
  presentation

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Resources

• Community Policing Consortium
• www.communitypolicing.org
• Volunteers in Police Service
• www.policevolunteers.org
• Citizen Corps
• www.citizencorps.gov

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The National Crime Prevention Council

• 1000 Connecticut Avenue, NW
• Thirteenth Floor
• Washington, DC 20036
• 202-466-6272
• 202-296-1356 fax
• www.ncpc.org

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Presenter Contact Information