COMMUNITY POLICING or 'Problem-oriented policing'(POP), coined by University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Herman Goldstein, is a policing strategy that involves identifying specific crime and disorder problems, such as occur in crime hot spots. With problem-oriented policing, the problem is analyzed and a strategy devised to tackle the problem. Over the past several years, problem-oriented policing (POP) has in many places virtually replaced the "incident-driven" method of law enforcement. At the heart of the POP strategy is its commitment to empowering each individual officer with the authority to identify and proactively work on problems within his or her Patro beat. The policy is designed to be implemented from the bottom up with rank-and-file officers effectively setting agency goals and developing strategies to achieve them, as opposed to the top-down approach of most traditional bureaucratic policies.
POP policy in a nutshell
Problem-oriented policing relies on the identification of problems by rank-and-file officers. Not all departments will define problems the same way, but a typical definition is:
- Repeated incidents;
- Occurring in a community;
- With related characteristics (e.g., behavior, ___location, people, time);
- That concern both the community and the police.
Where, under a traditional system, a patrol officer might answer repeated calls to a certain problem area or "hot spot" and deal only with each individual incident, that officer is encouraged under POP to discover the root cause of the problem and come up with ways of solving it. The goal is to find a cure for the ailment instead of merely treating the symptoms.
The exploration of possible responses to a problem is handled by patrol officers. Once a problem is identified, officers are expected to work closely with community members to develop a solution, which can include a wide range of alternatives to arrest. These may focus on the offender, the community, the environment, outside agencies, or the need for some kind of mediation. Situations often demand that police and citizens fashion tailor-made responses to problems, so a high degree of importance is placed on creativity and discretion.