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Community Policing

Community Policing

Community Policing

"Partner with police to produce less crime"

(Dr. Robbie Friedmann, IACP annual conference, 2022)

hands embracing

Community policing is a policy and a strategy aimed at achieving more effective and efficient crime control, reduced fear of crime, improved quality of life, improved police services and police legitimacy, through a proactive reliance on community resources that seeks to change crime causing conditions. This assumes a need for greater accountability of police, greater public share in decision making, and greater concern for civil rights and liberties (Friedmann, 1992).

The 1992 definition was adopted (with minor editing) by IACP in its
Resolution on Crime Prevention, Domestic Security and Quality of Life: Definition and Significant Value of Community Policing (December 2019).

The Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) adopted a resolution to formally accept, acknowledge, support and use the 1992 definition (with minor adjustments) as the formal definition of Community Policing in the State of Georgia (November 2021).

“We finally have a comprehensive definition of Community Policing adopted by the IACP. I believe our profession needs this definition desperately to understand the concept of community policing better.”

Chief Troy Rich, Thomasville Police Department, Georgia

“I was able to present IACP’s Community Policing definition and speak to the importance of having one comprehensive definition for all New Hampshire’s Association of Chiefs of Police (NHACOP) Chiefs to use. I am proud to say that the NHACOP voted to adopt the definition.”

Chief Charles B. Dennis, Hanover Police Department, New Hampshire

Community Conversations

Empowering the community to enhance public safety. Shifting from police-centered to service-centered. Reform as a comprehensive strategy that seeks to understand crime causation, deploy proactive intervention, and examine inter- and intra-agency organizational aspects to reach across silos and build partnerships. Presentation and discussion on community policing with the city council of Fayetteville, North Carolina.

CP Fayetteville NC 2020

Reform and reconciliation. Accountability and credibility. How do you implement community policing that produces substantive long-lasting change. Watch a candid conversation on building trust and strengthening ties between law enforcement and members of the community.

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Community Policing: Comparative Perspectives and Prospects

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  • The book deals with a range of pertinent issues, including fear of crime, the attitudes of police officers and citizens, and victimization. Other issues addressed include: police administration, style, and training; how community policing is portrayed in the media; and the relationship between the police and other social services. Throughout, emphasis is placed on the concept of community policing, the forces that make it work, and the resources that can be mobilized to assist the police. By developing a workable, concise definition of community policing and presenting a critical look at its limitations and promises, Community Policing provides an invaluable guide for students and researchers of policing, criminology, and public administration, as well as police officers and administrators responsible for the policy’s implementation.
    Palgrave Macmillan; 1992

IACP Community Policing Awards (1998 - 2021)

  • IACP logo

    In 1998 The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and ITT Industries established the joint Community Policing Award for departments and officers worldwide that excel in the implementation and practice of community policing. In 2008 the Award became the IACP-Cisco Community Policing Award. Since 2014 it is the IACP Leadership in Community Policing Award.

    Community Policing is increasingly recognized as one of the most important developments in the policing movement; at the same time it is being at-risk given the immense challenges posed by terrorism and attempts to address homeland security issues.

    Dr. Robert Friedmann served as a member of the IACP Community Policing Committee, and on its Community Policing Award Sub-Committee (1997 – 2015); he served as the co-chair of the committee (2017 – 2020) and served as its Vice Chair (2020 to 2022).

2021 Winners

  • Small Agency:
    The University of Texas at Arlington Police Department (TX)
    The University of Texas at Arlington Police Department (UTA) worked with internal and external stakeholders to create an interactive and impactful educational program for active shooter or active threat situations to enhance community understanding of response options for these situations. The UTA Police Department provided active threat situations through in-person seminars touching limited portions of the community. The community is engaged to be a partner in enhancing the safety and security of the campus through educational programs and community policing-centric programs. Officers are assigned to residential areas to provide specific points of collaboration to address questions and enhance problem solving efforts for community concerns. The goal of providing impactful active threat training for every member of the campus community is a high priority.

    Midsize Agency:
    University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (MD)
    Developed in 2018, the University of Maryland, Baltimore Police Department (UMBPD) Community Outreach and Support Team (COAST) was developed to build partnerships and make a difference in the West Baltimore community. COAST’s community programs start from a young age, with officers mentoring students after school in the Police Athletics/Activities League (PAL) program and teaching Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) weekly in Baltimore City schools. During the COVID-19 pandemic, PAL moved online, offering virtual mentoring and coaching each week. UMBPD police and security officers delivered boxed lunches to the homes of PAL students and their families to ensure they were still receiving much-needed resources during the pandemic. The Community Engagement Academy invites members of the community to get a behind-the-scenes look inside the UMBPD, from what it is like to enter the police academy to the daily decision-making process for law enforcement officers. The Academy also allows the community to interact with and provide feedback to the UMBPD officers.

    Large Agency:
    Ajman Police General Headquarters
    The Ajman Police created the Community Police Unit as a permanent organizational unit within its organizational structure to implement tasks including finding solutions to community problems, strengthening the bonds of friendship with the community in accordance with culture and the surrounding environment, establishing and building relationships with the community, and developing a sense of security by providing information and assistance in law enforcement and combating crime. With the creation of public and private partnerships, the Community Police Unit was able to use initiatives to help boost community involvement. Partnerships include the Municipality and Planning Department with the Clean Up the Emirates initiative, Emirates Islamic Bank with the initiative Faraj Hammi & Asaad Usrati, Ajman Charitable Society, and the Emirates Red Crescent with We Are All Family initiative. Ajman Police uses operational framework of Community Policing to spread the concept of Community Policing throughout the community, helping the community become familiar with their active role and key partnership in achieving security through voluntary cooperation.

2019 Winners

  • Small Agency:
    Mansfield Police Department, Massachusetts
    Since 2013, the Mansfield Police Department has undergone a reorientation of its operations model. Prior to the change, the organization’s structure was a predominantly traditional, reactionary model that primarily measured success solely by metrics such as arrests, police reports, and citations written. The heart of the reoriented policing model aimed to shift from a reactive model to one that emphasized a total immersion program of police operations into the community. This immersion program emphasized engagement and a focus on prevention by identifying core constituencies in the community. Once the core constituencies were identified, the police department and school department worked together to create a community calendar of activities with the goal of strategically aligning organizational goals with those of the communities by emphasizing regular face-to- face contact and a prevention and problem solving focus to community quality of life issues. In doing so it represents a reorientation of police operations, emphasizing problem solving, situational crime prevention, and community engagement over outdated traditional reactionary metrics. Additionally, the official social media of the department expanded from having a “just the facts” press release approach to using the platforms as a source of engagement and interaction by utilizing humor and humanizing approaches.

    Midsize Agency:
    Jacksonville Police Department, North Carolina
    Jacksonville, North Carolina is the principal city of Onslow County. The county population consists of 70% active-duty military personnel and their families who, on average, have less than three years of residency. They are unfamiliar with available resources and services, and they lack the support structure that established family and friends can provide. Additionally, residents not associated with the military are more likely to be economically disadvantaged and lack health insurance. The efforts were in collaboration with the City of Jacksonville’s the “One City, Our City, My City” campaign. The focus of “One City” is to promote respect, caring, and collaboration among all community members which results in a better Jacksonville.  Strategies were developed to counter misunderstandings about mental health and opioid abuse.  The campaign also focused on providing a variety of communication and outreach opportunities to address the lack of mental health services as well as the quality of police interaction with the community. This has resulted in the reduction of use-of-force incidents.

    Large Agency:
    Queensland Police Service, Australia
    The Queensland Police Service (QPS) wanted to find a way to connect and build strong relationships with indigenous communities in their jurisdiction. To bridge this gap, they partnered with Gilimbaa Creative and key indigenous stakeholders to create various pieces of indigenous art. These art pieces captured the QPS storyline, while ensuring cultural appropriateness to complement the engagement and reconciliation process. Under the name “Look to the Stars Initiative,” the project demonstrates, in a tangible way, the cultural importance the QPS places on partnerships with indigenous communities. Through recognizing past trauma and historical injustices from previous policing strategies towards the indigenous communities, the QPS has effectively begun reconciliation in a culturally respective and significant way.

2018 Winners

2015 Winners

2014 Winners

2013 Winners

2012 Winners

2011 Winners

2010 Winners