Introduction to Community Oriented Policing

1. Introduction to Community Oriented Policing History Repeats Itself Dr. Phillip M. Lyons Sam Houston State University Texas Community Policing Institute

2. Texas Community Policing Institute: Phillip M. Lyons, Jr. --Assistant Professor SHSU Ph.D. (Forensic Psychology): Nebraska, 1997 J.D.: Nebraska, 1995 M.A.: (Forensic Psychology): Nebraska, 1995 B.S.: (Behav. Sci.) Univ. Houston-Clear Lake, 1988 A.A.S.: (Law Enf. & Pol. Admin): Alvin C.C., 1985 Former Detective: City of Alvin Police Department Predoctoral Internship: Fed. Med. Cntr., Fort Worth, TX Assistant Director, Texas Community Policing Institute

3. Community Policing Community Policing is a policing philosophy that promotes and supports organizational strategies to address the causes and reduce the fear of crime and social disorder through problem-solving tactics and community-police partnerships.

4. This is Nothing New • This concept is as old as organized policing • The London Metropolitan Police Force - 1820’s • Policing was a Prevention-based operation

5. Sir Robert Peel - 1829 The police are the public and the public are the police. The police being the only members of the public that are paid to give full-time attention to duties which are incumbent on every citizen, in the interests of community welfare and existence.”

6. Crime Problems Social Change Technology Revolution Progress What Forces Change in Policing?

7. Authority & resources derived from local political leaders Function was: Crime Prevention Control Order Maintenance Technology - Foot patrol; call boxes Strengths: Citizen Support Neighborhood service to a community Prevented Crimes in Neighborhoods Weaknesses: Political Corruption Patronage System Inefficiency The Evolution of Modern PolicingPolitical Era

8. Rejection of political control Civil Service Proliferation of Rules Limitation of Discretion Mission: Control Crime through enforcement Community Problems viewed as “social work” Technology: radios, cars, computers Now: MDT’s, AFS, Optical Imaging, Forensic Advances Performance Measures: response time, random patrol availability, UCR, arrests, adherence to rules The Evolution of Modern PolicingReform Era

9. The Evolution of Modern PolicingReform Era • Impact to Community: • “Anonymous, “professional” crime fighters. • “Just the facts” • Removal of Beat officer • Reactive response to radio calls

10. Results of Reform • We became “Apart” from the community rather than A Part of the community • Loss of public confidence in ability to control crime

11. Random Patroling can prevent crime Rapid Response to Calls increases likelihood of solution Detectives assigned early to a case will increase apprehension Random Patrol had little to no impact Rapid Response was seldom impactful in solution The information collected by arriving officer was most important Policing Assumptions

12. Incident Driven Policing • Incident Driven • Police Response (dial-a-cop / you-call-we-haul) • Reactive • Limited Information • Focus on single incidents • Reliance on CJ system • Efficiency Driven

13. Beginnings of Community Policing • PCR Units • “Make friends” with the community • Window dressing to improve image • “Wave & Grin” squads • Monologue • Crime Prevention • Valid & tangible function for community • Limited to lectures & demonstrations • No dialogue on community problems

14. Beginnings of Community Policing • Problems with PCR & CP Approaches • Told communities to get organized…. then did little in the way of follow-up • Little officer / community identification & ownership • Lack of supervisory & management encouragement of officer problem solving • Failed to recognize / legitimize “quality of life” / “community order” concerns

15. Community Oriented Policing • We / They Partnerships • Broken Windows • Officer Expertise • Citizen is a Resource • Improved PCR • Variety of Strategies / Tactics • Decentralized Service • Increased Officer Authority / Accountability

16. Two Key Elements • Problem-Solving (Solution-Oriented Policing) • Community Partnerships

17. Key Elements to COPPS:Problem Solving • Identifying problems or priorities through coordinated police / community needs assessments; • Collecting and Analyzing information concerning the problem in a thorough, though not necessarily complicated manner; • Developing or Facilitating Responses that are innovative and tailor-made with the best potential for eliminating or reducing the problem; • Evaluating the response to determine its effectiveness & modifying it as necessary.

18. Key Elements to COPPS:Community Partnerships This is a flexible term referring to any combination of neighborhood residents, schools, churches, businesses, community-based organizations, elected-officials, and government agencies who are working cooperatively with the police to resolve identified problems that impact or interest them.

19. 8 Steps in Building Community Partnerships • Identify your partners • Develop a community profile • Initiate dialogue • Organize community meetings • Identify issues • Formulate your plan • Take action • Maintenance

20. Community Policing Today • Recognition that Peel was right - the police can not control crime; we MUST have community cooperation • Innovative, Solution-Oriented Policing becoming more accepted • Understanding that COPPS is NOT “soft” on crime

21. 3-Word Definition for Community Oriented Policing • Consultation • Adaptation • Mobilization

22. Consultation • Police Officers must consult with citizens to determine the policing priorities: • Neighborhood Meetings • Surveys • Telephone • One-on-One

23. Adaptation • Police agencies and personnel: • Must be willing to change in order to address priorities identified in the Consultation process. • Challenge the Traditional. • New Methods.

24. Mobilization • We must identify all of the stakeholders andresources and bring them to the table. • Look both internally and externally. • The police serve as a catalyst to drive them to action.

25. Academy Support Infuse curriculum with problem-solving tactics and solution-oriented policing philosophy Executive Leadership Training Implementation issues and problems Quantifying Quality / Crime-Specific Policing & Analysis Software development Community Role Enhancement in COPPS Often discussed, seldom addressed Texas Regional Community Policing Institute

26. Texas Regional Community Policing Institute • Centralized Computer Server • Access to curricula • Links to other COPPS info. sites • Information exchange (agencies) • Repository of solution-oriented tactics

27. Texas Regional Community Policing Institute • Newsletter / Bulletin • Modeled after TELEMASP • Provide resources and information • Identify effective crime-specific policing strategies • Nuisance abatement • Condemnation • Tenant Control

28. Summary • Started Connected to the Community • Political Influence and Technology were catalysts for becoming Disconnected • Now we are returning to the “roots” of policing

29. (Problem Solving) Solution-Oriented Policing Dr. Phillip Lyons Sam Houston State University Texas Regional Community Policing Institute

30. TRADITIONAL Take a report Take another report Take yet another report Randomly patrol PROBLEM -ORIENTED Constantly review reports for patterns Look for commonalties that can be addressed Look for root cause - construction, low lighting, low traffic Traditional v. Problem Oriented

31. Solution-Oriented Policing(Problem-Oriented Policing) • A department-wide strategy aimed at solving persistent community problems. Police identify, analyze, and respond to the underlying circumstances that create incidents.Eck & Spelman (1987) • It not necessarily easier & takes more time, planning, resources, cooperation, & community interactions.

32. Goldstein’s 5 Concerns Leading To POP • Police are preoccupied with management, internal procedures, and efficiency to the exclusion of appropriate concern for effectiveness in dealing with substantive problems. • Police devote most of their resources to responding to calls from citizens, reserving too small a percentage of their time and energy for acting on their own initiative to prevent or reduce community problems.

33. Goldstein’s Five Concerns (Cont.) • The community is a major resource with an enormous potential, largely untapped, for reducing the number and magnitude of problems that otherwise become the business of the police. • Within agencies, police have readily available to them their rank and file officers, whose time and talents have not been used effectively.

34. Goldstein’s Five Concerns (Cont.) • Efforts to improve policing have often failed because they have not been adequately related to the overall dynamics and complexities of the police organization. Adjustments in policies and organizational structure are required to accommodate and support change.

35. EFFICIENCY - doing things RIGHT. EFFECTIVENESS - Doing the RIGHT things. Efficiency v. Effectiveness Ideally, both efficiency and effectiveness are present in policing.

36. Central Principles of Problem Solving • Thoughtful analysis • Creative response in non-traditional sense • Uses solutions outside the criminal justice system • Encourages community to take responsibility for problems and solutions • Effectiveness vs. Efficiency

37. What is a “Problem” • Two or more incidents • related in one or more ways • causing harm or likely to cause harm or • involving a public expectation of action

38. Businesses National Organizations Newspaper Community Groups Internal Units Churches, Schools, etc. Crime analysis Ways to Identify Problems

39. Problem Prioritization • Level of Community Concern • Broken Window? • Position of Jeopardy

40. Addressing Problems • Group incidents as problems. • Focus on substantive problems as the heart of policing. • Effectiveness is the ultimate goal. • Need for systematic inquiry. • Disaggregation & accurately labeling problem. • Analysis of multiple interests in problems.

41. Addressing Problems • Capturing & critiquing the current response. • An uninhibited search for a tailor-made response. • Adopting a proactive stance. • Strengthening the decision-making process and increasing accountability. • Evaluating results of newly implemented responses.

42. Location Suspects Victim Group Behavior Pattern Time Evidence 6 Ways Problems are Linked

43. “Circle of Concern” v. “Area of Influence” Circle of Concern Area of Influence

44. SARA Eck & Spelman (1987) • Scanning - identifying the problem • Analysis - learning the problems causes, scope, and effects • Response - acting to alleviate the problem, that is selecting the alternative solution or solutions to try • Assessment - determining if the response worked

45. Two Questions for Analysis • What do I need to know? • Where do I get the Information?

46. The Crime Triangle Location Victim Suspect

47. 3 “Response” Limitations • Moral • Legal • Ethical • Adhere to Community Norms • Use Common Sense • Be Creative

48. 5 Potential Outcomes • Eliminate It • Reduce the Scope • Reduce the Harm • Improve the Process • Shift responsibility to the correct source

49. Focus on problems of public concern Effectiveness as primary concern Be Proactive Be committed to systematic inquiry Use rigorous methods during inquiry Fully use police files & personnel’s experience Group like incidents together - address as a common problem Avoid overly broad labels/categories-ID separate problems as such Broad & uninhibited search for solutions Commit to take some risks in responding Suggestions for implementation

50. Crime-Specific Planning • Although a part of problem-oriented policing, it is more specific in that it approaches the criminal justice problem by considering underlying problems that are categorized by the type of offense. • Crime-specific planning uses solution-oriented policing to identify priorities.