The Community-oriented Policing Program is the new approach being used by law enforcement agencies to prevent the increasing rate of crime and violence. The program was implemented at a community in Bensenville, IL, which teemed of gang-related disturbances. It focuses on developing trust, familiarity and sense of ownership by increasing police and citizen interaction. Thus, cooperation between the police and municipal agencies is a crucial factor to the success of the program. (Bobinsky, Robert, 1994)
The COP philosophy on the partnership between police and the community contributed to the solution of criminal problems. Community policing has captured the attention of police agencies across the country. A national survey of police departments in areas with a population of more than 50,000 found that over one-half of the agencies have implemented community policing, and an additional 20 percent indicated they planned to do so. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, which provides funding for 100,000 new police officers, has motivated many departments to develop programs that encompass various elements of community policing in an effort to receive additional funding. (Erickson, Timothy E, 1998)
Increasingly, law enforcement is becoming aware of the need for community involvement and interagency collaborations in addressing gang problems. Communities, especially the police, have awakened to the reality that Juvenile gangs cannot be eliminated and the gang problem resolved simply by jailing all gang members.
The police recognize that they need to do more than they have done in the past to engage the community in the overall task of policing. Community involvement helps establish cooperative and meaningful relationships between the police and juveniles, which are essential to gang violence prevention.
One of the primary problems with relying totally on law enforcement for solutions is the dependency it creates within the community. When the community........
