Problem-oriented policing presents an alternative approach to policing that has gained attention in recent years among many police agencies. Problem-oriented policing grew out of twenty years of research into police practices, and differs from traditional policing strategies in four significant ways.
First, problem-oriented policing enables police agencies to be more effective. Currently, police agencies commit most of their time to responding to calls for service. Problem-oriented policing offers a more effective strategy by addressing the underlying conditions that prompt calls for service. Often, many of the calls for service are related and, if grouped together, disclose a pattern of activity or behavior that presents a more accurate picture of the condition that prompted the calls in the first place. Problem-oriented policing offers police agencies a model for addressing the underlying conditions that created and cause other problems of concern to the community (Oliver, 1998).
Second, problem-oriented policing recognizes the expertise that line officers have developed in their police careers, and allows them to use this expertise to study problems and develop creative solutions to those problems. Experience in departments around the country has shown that line officers are capable of contributing much more to the resolution of crime and other community problems than what we presently ask of them. Officers engaged in problem-oriented policing have expressed greater job satisfaction and exhibited a keener interest in their work (Oliver, 1998).
Third, problem-oriented policing entails a greater and closer involvement by the public in police work. Communities must be consulted to ensure that police are addressing the needs and concerns of the citizens. Community involvement and support are key ingredients if police agencies hope to find long-term solutions to recurrent problems (Taylor, 2001).
Fourth, problem-oriented policing recognizes that a great deal of the information needed to thoroughly understand a problem is not......
