Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T12:03:14.811Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

7 - Rethinking the Role of the Community in Proactive Policing

from Part II - The Evidence for Evidence-Based Policing

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 June 2023

By
Charlotte Gill
Edited by
David Weisburd ,
Tal Jonathan-Zamir ,
Gali Perry  and
Badi Hasisi
David Weisburd
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem and George Mason University, Virginia
Tal Jonathan-Zamir
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Gali Perry
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Badi Hasisi
Affiliation:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Get access

Summary

The 2018 National Academy of Sciences report on proactive policing acknowledges that police strategies to prevent crime are likely to have collateral consequences on community outcomes, and in some cases (such as community-oriented policing) aim to shape community outcomes directly. However, strategies that effectively prevent crime have mixed effects on community outcomes, while approaches that improve community perceptions of the police often do not have strong crime control benefits. In this chapter I propose that the future of proactive policing may depend on developing a better understanding of the complex relationship between communities, police, and crime prevention. Rather than viewing community impacts and crime prevention impacts as two separate processes, I argue that community support and collaboration are inherent to proactivity and may ultimately moderate the success or failure of proactive policing strategies. I conclude with suggestions for future research and theory development to better understand this relationship and translate research into effective practice.

Keywords

CommunitiesCrime preventionProactive policingProcedural justiceDemocratic policingParticipatory action researchProcess tracingChange levers
Type
Chapter
Information
The Future of Evidence-Based Policing , pp. 126 - 144
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Baum, F., MacDougall, C., & Smith, D. (2006). Participatory action research. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 60(10), 854–857. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2004.028662Google Scholar
Bayley, D. H. (1994). Police for the future. Oxford University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bayley, D. H. (2005). Police reform as foreign policy. Australian & New Zealand Journal of Criminology, 38(2), 206–215. https://doi.org/10.1375/acri.38.2.206CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Braga, A. A., Welsh, B. C., & Schnell, C. (2015). Can policing disorder reduce crime? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 52(4), 567–588. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022427815576576Google Scholar
Collier, D. (2011). Understanding process tracing. PS: Political Science & Politics, 44(4), 823–830. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1049096511001429Google Scholar
Cordner, G. W. (1999). Elements of community policing. In Gaines, L. K. & Cordner, G. W. (Eds.), Policing perspectives: An anthology (pp. 137–149). Roxbury.Google Scholar
Eck, J. E., & Spelman, W. (1987). Problem-solving: Problem-oriented policing in Newport News. Police Executive Research Forum. www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/Digitization/111964NCJRS.pdfGoogle Scholar
Gill, C., & Gross Shader, C. (2020). Building a “Beautiful Safe Place for Youth:” The story of an effective community-research-practice partnership in Rainier Beach, Seattle. In Stokes, R. J. & Gill, C. (Eds.), Innovations in community-based crime prevention: Case studies and lessons learned. Springer.Google Scholar
Gill, C., Weisburd, D., Telep, C. W., Vitter, Z., & Bennett, T. (2014). Community-oriented policing to reduce crime, disorder and fear and increase satisfaction and legitimacy among citizens: A systematic review. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 10(4), 399–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-014-9210-yGoogle Scholar
Goldstein, H. (1979). Improving policing: A problem-oriented approach. Crime & Delinquency, 25(2), 236–258. https://doi.org/10.1177/001112877902500207Google Scholar
Goldstein, H. (1990). Problem-oriented policing. McGraw-Hill.Google Scholar
Gottfredson, M., & Hirschi, T. (1990). A general theory of crime. Stanford University Press.Google Scholar
Greene, J. R. (2000). Community policing in America: Changing the nature, structure, and function of the police. In Horney, Julie (Ed.), Criminal justice 2000: Policies, processes, and decisions of the criminal justice system (pp. 299–370). U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.Google Scholar
Higginson, A., & Mazerolle, L. (2014). Legitimacy policing of places: The impact on crime and disorder. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 10(4), 429–457. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-014-9215-6Google Scholar
Hinkle, J. C., & Weisburd, D. (2008). The irony of broken windows policing: A micro-place study of the relationship between disorder, focused police crackdowns and fear of crime. Journal of Criminal Justice, 36(6), 503–512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2008.09.010Google Scholar
Kelling, G. L. (2015). Don’t blame my ‘broken windows’ theory for poor policing [magazine]. Politico Magazine. www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/08/broken-windows-theory-poor- policing-ferguson-kelling-121268.htmlGoogle Scholar
Kelling, G. L., & Moore, M. H. (1988). From political to reform to community: The evolving strategy of police. In Greene, J. R. & Mastrofski, S. D. (Eds.), Community policing: Rhetoric or reality (pp. 3–26). Praeger.Google Scholar
Kelling, G. L., Pate, A. M., Dieckman, D., & Brown, C. E. (1974). The Kansas City Preventive Patrol Experiment: A summary report. Police Foundation. www.policefoundation.org/projects/the-kansas-city-preventive-patrol-experiment/Google Scholar
Kelling, G. L., & Wilson, J. Q. (1982). Broken windows: The police and neighborhood safety. Atlantic Monthly, 249(3), 1–9.Google Scholar
Kidd, S. A., & Kral, M. J. (2005). Practicing participatory action research. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 52(2), 187–195. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.52.2.187Google Scholar
Kochel, T. R. (2011). Constructing hot spots policing: Unexamined consequences for disadvantaged populations and for police legitimacy. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 22(3), 350–374. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887403410376233Google Scholar
Kochel, T. R., & Gau, J. M. (2019). Examining police presence, tactics, and engagement as facilitators of informal social control in high-crime areas. Justice Quarterly, 38(2), 301–321. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2019.1632917CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kochel, T. R., & Weisburd, D. (2017). Assessing community consequences of implementing hot spots policing in residential areas: Findings from a randomized field trial. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 13(2), 143–170. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-017-9283-5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kochel, T. R., & Weisburd, D. (2019). The impact of hot spots policing on collective efficacy: Findings from a randomized field trial. Justice Quarterly, 36(5), 900–928. https://doi.org/10.1080/07418825.2018.1465579Google Scholar
Lopez, C. E. (2020, June7). Opinion: Defund the police? Here’s what that really means. www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/07/defund-police-heres-what-that-really-means/Google Scholar
Lum, C., & Nagin, D. S. (2017). Reinventing American policing. Crime and Justice, 46(1), 339–393. https://doi.org/10.1086/688462Google Scholar
Manning, P. K. (2010). Democratic policing in a changing world. Routledge.Google Scholar
Martinson, R. (1974). What works? – Questions and answers about prison reform. The Public Interest, 35, 22–54.Google Scholar
Mastrofski, S. D. (1999). Policing for people (Ideas in American Policing). Police Foundation. www.policefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Mastrofski-1999-Policing-For-People.pdfGoogle Scholar
Mastrofski, S. D., Worden, R. E., & Snipes, J. B. (1995). Law enforcement in a time of community policing. Criminology, 33(4), 539–563. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.1995.tb01189.xGoogle Scholar
McTaggart, R. (1991). Principles for participatory action research. Adult Education Quarterly, 41(3), 168–187. https://doi.org/10.1177/0001848191041003003Google Scholar
Meares, T. L. (2013). The good cop: Knowing the difference between lawful or effective policing and rightful policing – and why it matters. William & Mary Law Review, 54(6), 1865–1856.Google Scholar
Moore, M. H. (1992). Problem-solving and community policing. Crime and Justice, 15, 99–158. https://doi.org/10.1086/449194Google Scholar
Nagin, D. S., & Telep, C. W. (2017). Procedural justice and legal compliance. Annual Review of Law and Social Science, 13, 5–28. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-lawsocsci-110316-113310Google Scholar
Nix, J., Wolfe, S. E., Rojek, J., & Kaminski, R. J. (2015). Trust in the police: The influence of procedural justice and perceived collective efficacy. Crime & Delinquency, 61(4), 610–640. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128714530548Google Scholar
Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. (2014). Community policingdefined. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/vets-to-cops/e030917193-cp-defined.pdfGoogle Scholar
Perry, G., Jonathan-Zamir, T., & Willis, J. (this volume). The Potential Contribution of Subjective Causality to Policing Research: The Case of the Relationship between Procedural Justice and Police Legitimacy. In Weisburd, D., Jonathan, T., Perry, G. & Hasisi, B., (Eds.), The Future of Evidence-Based Policing. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
President’s Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Justice. (1967). The challenge of crime in a free society. United States Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
Rahr, S., & Rice, S. K. (2015). From warriors to guardians: Recommitting American police culture to democratic ideals (NCJ 248654). U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/248654.pdfGoogle Scholar
Reiss, A. J. (1971). The police and the public. Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Scheider, M. C., Chapman, R., & Schapiro, A. (2009). Towards the unification of policing innovations under community policing. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 32(4), 694–718. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639510911000777Google Scholar
Sherman, L. W. (1997). Communities and crime prevention. In Sherman, L. W., Gottfredson, D. C., MacKenzie, D. L., Eck, J. E., Reuter, P., & Bushway, S. D. (Eds.), Preventing crime: What works, what doesn’t, what’s promising. United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice.Google Scholar
Sherman, L. W., Gottfredson, D. C., MacKenzie, D. L., Eck, J. E., Reuter, P., & Bushway, S. (1997). Preventing crime: What works, what doesn’t, what’s promising. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice. https://doi.org/678910Google Scholar
Shilston, T. (2015). Democratic policing, community policing and the fallacy of conflation in international police development missions. International Journal of Police Science& Management, 17(4), 207–215. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461355715618331Google Scholar
Skogan, W. G., & Frydl, K. (Eds.) (2004). Fairness and effectiveness in policing: The evidence. National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Skolnick, J. H., & Bayley, D. H. (1988). Community policing: Issues and practices around the world. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.Google Scholar
Spelman, W., & Brown, D. K. (1984). Calling the police: Citizen reporting of serious crime. Police Executive Research Forum.Google Scholar
Sunshine, J., & Tyler, T. R. (2003). The role of procedural justice and legitimacy in shaping public support for policing. Law & Society Review, 37(3), 513–548. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5893.3703002Google Scholar
Thacher, D. (2001). Equity and community policing: A new view of community partnerships. Criminal Justice Ethics, 20(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1080/0731129X.2001.9992093Google Scholar
Tuffin, R., Morris, J., & Poole, A. (2006). An Evaluation of the Impact of the National Reassurance Policing Programme (HORS 296). Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate.Google Scholar
Tyler, T. R. (2004). Enhancing police legitimacy. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 593(1), 84–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203262627Google Scholar
Weichselbaum, S., & Lewis, N. (2020, June 9). Support for defunding the police department is growing. Here’s why it’s not a silver bullet. The Marshall Project. www.themarshallproject.org/2020/06/09/support-for-defunding-the-police-department-is-growing-here-s-why-it-s-not-a-silver-bulletGoogle Scholar
Weisburd, D., & Braga, A. A. (Eds.) (2006). Police innovation: Contrasting perspectives. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Weisburd, D., Braga, A.A., & Majmundar, M. (this volume). What do we know about Proactive Policing’s effects on Crime and Community?: Drawing conclusions from a National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Report. In Weisburd, D., Jonathan, T., Perry, G. & Hasisi, B., (Eds.), The Future of Evidence-Based Policing. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Weisburd, D., & Eck, J. E. (2004). What can police do to reduce crime, disorder, and fear? The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 593(1), 42–65. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002716203262548Google Scholar
Weisburd, D., Hinkle, J. C., Famega, C., & Ready, J. (2011). The possible “backfire” effects of hot spots policing: An experimental assessment of impacts on legitimacy, fear and collective efficacy. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 7(4), 297–320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-011-9130-zGoogle Scholar
Weisburd, D., & Jonathan-Zamir, T. (2020, July 6). Fighting crime and gaining public support are two distinct goals for police. The Hill. https://thehill.com/opinion/criminal-justice/505593-fighting-crime-and-gaining-public-support-are-two-distinct-goals-forGoogle Scholar
Weisburd, D., & Majmundar, M. K. (Eds.) (2018). Proactive policing: Effects on crime and communities. National Academies Press.Google Scholar
Whyte, W. F. (1989). Advancing scientific knowledge through participatory action research. Sociological Forum, 4(3), 367–385. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01115015Google Scholar
Wilson, D. B. (2019). Developing a theory of effective juvenile delinquency programming through an examination of change-levers rather than program types: Preliminary evidence from a large juvenile delinquency meta-analysis [PDF slides]. www.bocsar.nsw.gov.au/Documents/2019_Conference/0213_0930_ARCJ19_C4.05_K101_David_Wilson.pdfGoogle Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×