Community Policing and Crime Reduction: Evaluating the Impact of Community Policing

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Terrianna Bell, 3rd Year Criminal Justice, Entrepreneurship
Faculty Mentor: Professor Olivia McDonald, Criminal Justice

Community policing strives to improve everyone's quality of life and public safety by promoting a cooperative atmosphere. Studies and interest in the relationship between criminality and community policing have been substantial. In fact, studies reveal when law enforcement organizations successfully apply community policing initiatives, crime rates decrease. Furthermore, studies have found the reduction in crime resulted from an improved collaboration between law enforcement and the community through various community policing models. Additionally, the strategies that police and citizens use include public forums and foot patrol. Consequently, communities are more inclined to collaborate with police, report crimes, and work together to prevent crime, when there is a greater level of trust in law enforcement. These collaborations provide an in-depth approach to problem-solving that mitigates the correlation of crime, such as economic hardship, social isolation, low educational attainment, single parent households, and low youth involvement. According to previous literature, law enforcement organizations can provide long-lasting and efficient solutions when they include the community in the problem-solving process. By using secondary analysis research, this research will explore various community policing models nationally to assess current trends in community policing.

Authors

• Terrianna Bell, North Carolina A&T State University

• Olivia S. McDonald, North Carolina A&T State University