The Future of Policing
The Future of Policing
Christina Johnson
CJS/210
September 14, 2014
Ronald Rucker
University of Phoenix
Policing in the United States has changed dramatically since it was first brought to the thirteen colonies from England. However, some of the issues faced then are being faced in policing today. There are also new trends that are prevalent, and these trends will continue to have lasting effects on the future of policing. Even though new trends improve policing overall, they can also cause more serious issues. It is crucial to continue making changes topolicing because it allows law enforcement officers to keep up with the rest of society, including the knowledge of new crime trends. This paper will describe the current trends and issues in policing and analyze possible solutions to improve policing tactics. One trend currently affecting policing is police-community relations. There is a strong emphasis now on community policing, which promotes trust and better relationships between police officers and community members, and less on the militaristic style (Stephens, 2005). Improving police-community relations not only accents the importance of diversity, but it reduces prejudice and discrimination by officers. Community policing helps build trust between the police and community members by relying on citizens to help fight crime. Hence, it is a type of proactive policing (Walker & Katz, 2011). By relying on citizens, police officers have a better chance at preventing and reducing crimes within a community. Another trend currently affecting policing is utilizing many different types of patrol. These forms of patrol can be on foot, in an automobile, on a bicycle, or motorcycle. In the past, foot patrol was the only way an officer could patrol his beat (Walker & Katz, 2011). Consequently, foot patrol made it hard to effectively control crime in neighborhoods and perform other required duties. With a balance between each patrol
Christina Johnson
CJS/210
September 14, 2014
Ronald Rucker
University of Phoenix
Policing in the United States has changed dramatically since it was first brought to the thirteen colonies from England. However, some of the issues faced then are being faced in policing today. There are also new trends that are prevalent, and these trends will continue to have lasting effects on the future of policing. Even though new trends improve policing overall, they can also cause more serious issues. It is crucial to continue making changes topolicing because it allows law enforcement officers to keep up with the rest of society, including the knowledge of new crime trends. This paper will describe the current trends and issues in policing and analyze possible solutions to improve policing tactics. One trend currently affecting policing is police-community relations. There is a strong emphasis now on community policing, which promotes trust and better relationships between police officers and community members, and less on the militaristic style (Stephens, 2005). Improving police-community relations not only accents the importance of diversity, but it reduces prejudice and discrimination by officers. Community policing helps build trust between the police and community members by relying on citizens to help fight crime. Hence, it is a type of proactive policing (Walker & Katz, 2011). By relying on citizens, police officers have a better chance at preventing and reducing crimes within a community. Another trend currently affecting policing is utilizing many different types of patrol. These forms of patrol can be on foot, in an automobile, on a bicycle, or motorcycle. In the past, foot patrol was the only way an officer could patrol his beat (Walker & Katz, 2011). Consequently, foot patrol made it hard to effectively control crime in neighborhoods and perform other required duties. With a balance between each patrol
References: Cetron, M.J., & Davies, O. (2008, February). 55 Trends now shaping the future of policing. The Proteus Trends Series, 1(1), 1-216. Grant, H. B., & Terry, K. J. (2008). Law enforcement in the 21st century (2nd ed).Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall. Stephens, G. (2005). Policing the future. Futurist, 39(2), 51. Walker, S., & Katz, C. M. (2011). The police in America: An introduction (7th ed.).New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.