Community Policing in America

by Wilson,Jeremy M.

• ISBN13: 9780415953504
• ISBN10: 0415953502
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-05-30
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Although law enforcement officials have long recognized the need to cooperate with the communities they serve, recent efforts to enhance performance and maximize resources have resulted in a more strategic approach to collaboration among police, local governments, and community members. The goal of these so-called "community policing" initiatives is to prevent neighborhood crime, reduce the fear of crime, and enhance the quality of life in communities. Despite the growing national interest in and support for community policing, the factors that influence an effective implementation have been largely unexplored. Drawing on data from nearly every major U.S. municipal police force, Community Policing in Americais the first comprehensive study to examine how the organizational context and structure of police organizations impact the implementation of community policing. Jeremy Wilson#xE2;#xAC;"s book offers a unique theoretical framework within which to consider community policing, and identifies key internal and external factors that can facilitate or impede this process, including community characteristics, geographical region, police chief turnover, and structural complexity and control. It also provides a simple tool that practitioners, policymakers, and researchers can use to measure community policing in specific police organizations.

Table of Contents

SERIES PREFACE	ix
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS	xi
1 INTRODUCTION	1	(6)
2 DEFINING COMMUNITY POLICING AND RESEARCHING ITS IMPLEMENTATION	7	(10)
3 POLICE ORGANIZATIONS AS OPEN SYSTEMS	17	(10)
4 ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AND COMMUNITY POLICING	27	(8)
5 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY POLICING	35	(12)
6 ORGANIZATIONAL CONTEXT AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE	47	(8)
7 MODELS, DATA, AND ANALYSIS	55	(20)
8 FINDINGS	75	(26)
9 CONCLUSIONS AND POLICY IMPLICATIONS	101	(10)
APPENDIX A: ANALYTICAL PROCESS OF STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELING	111	(10)
APPENDIX B: CALCULATING ESTIMATES OF COMMUNITY POLICING IMPLEMENTATION	121	(6)
APPENDIX C: ESTIMATES OF COMMUNITY POLICING IMPLEMENTATION FOR SAMPLE POLICE ORGANIZATONS, 1997 AND 1999 (SCALE 0-3. 187)	127	(14)
NOTES	141	(8)
REFERENCES	149	(12)
INDEX	161