Preview

Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1096 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy
Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy
Kristen Torres
AJS/502
May 6, 2013
Joseph Richard Gutheinz, Jr. J.D.

Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy
“Community policing is, in essence, a collaboration between the police and the community that identifies and solves community problems” (U.S. Department of Justice, 1994, p. vii). Throughout the years, community policing has become a more popular strategy to help law enforcement officials control and deter crime; however, some areas across the United States has had problems in the past with communities and law enforcement working together to ensure a secure and safe environment. Although it is an officer’s duty to maintain order, keep the peace, and solve problems within the area he or she is patrolling, it is also necessary for the people of the community to come together to help prevent crime. Everyone wants to feel safe in his or her place of dwelling and know that he or she has individuals who will serve and protect the area. Ergo, when problems occur between law enforcement and communities, the citizens develop a stigma against law officials and do not want to help solve or prevent criminal acts. On the other side, when law enforcement officials develop a positive rapport with the community, the citizens are more likely to come forward to help solve crimes or problems that evolve within the neighborhood. Community policing is a necessary program to have within a community and many neighborhoods have adopted these programs.
The Chicago Police Department is one city that knew a community-based program was a necessity to solve criminal problems within the neighborhoods of the city. In 1993, the Chicago Police Department implemented the Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS), which is a community-based program that helps solves neighborhood crime problems with the collaboration of community members and law enforcement officials. According to Office of Justice Programs (n.d.), “The program began in five



References: Chicago Police Department. (2008). Working Together. Building Safer Communities. Retrieved May 6, 2013, from https://portal.chicagopolice.org/portal/page/portal/ClearPath/Get%20Involved/How%20CAPS%20works/What%20is%20CAPSS Office of Justice Programs. (n.d.). Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS). Retrieved May 6, 2013, from https://www.crimesolutions.gov/ProgramDetails.aspx?ID=299 University of Ottawa. (n.d.). Faculty of Social Sciences. Institute for the Prevention of Crime. Retrieved. May 6, 2013, from http://www.sciencessociales.uottawa.ca/ipc/eng/problem_high_crime_communities.asp?topic=chicago U.S. Department of Justice. (1994). Understanding Community Policing. Retrieved May 6, 2013, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/commp.pdf .

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The primary goal of any law enforcement agency is to maintain public safety, primarily by reducing the number of occurrences of crime in their jurisdiction. Although this seems simplistic in nature, it takes many policing agencies working together in a successful working relationship to achieve this success. This paper will provide an assessment of each of these policing agencies and the relationships they possess. Communication patterns both within and outside the policing agency will be addressed, along with the current trends in the approach to the policing function. Lastly, the paper will identify any existing issues with the partnership between law enforcement and the community and recommend any necessary changes to improve these partnerships.…

    • 1136 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Best Essays

    Friedmann, R.R. ( 1992 ). Community Policing Comparative Perspectives and Prospects. Retrieved February 27, 2012 from http://www. ncjrs.gov/policing/bib693.htm…

    • 2429 Words
    • 70 Pages
    Best Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Law enforcement is one of the most dynamic social fields in the world. Police tactics and strategies are constantly changing to meet the needs of the communities that they serve, large and small alike. New strategies are implemented in hopes of improving the efficiency and effectiveness of police. The majority of new strategies aim to help law enforcement agencies and protocols become more systematic, and eliminate any redundancy. One such strategy was introduced in 1979 by Herman Goldstein (Clark, 2003). Goldstein’s idea revolved around identifying a specific problem, implementing case specific solutions to that issue, and analyzing the effect that the interventions had on the original problem.…

    • 472 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    There are many way how the history of policing is related to community policing. Some way that the history of policing is related to community policing is better than others. Well as we know that community policing focuses on crime and social disorder through the delivery of police services that includes aspects of traditional law enforcement, as well as prevention, problem solving, community engagement, and partnerships. Community policing also model balances reactive responses to call for service with proactive problem solving centered on the causes of crime and disorder. Community policing requires police and citizens to join together as partners. The community policing had a strong history, during the history of policing. Community police increased interest in how to best involve citizens in the crime problems solution. They also increased experimentation on methods for preventing crime, including a number of studies on the impact of foot patrol. Community policing and variation on it have became the operating philosophy and underlie much of police practice today. Moreover, community policing has became a powerful organizing theme that continues to shape how police departments deliver services, particularly at the local level of government. The history of community policing began to relate to policing in the beginning in the early 1970s, police began to experiment with ways that putted them into closer interaction with the public. But, the community relation movement had begun in the late 1940’s and into the 1950’s. This then influenced this transition for policing, as did the rise of alternative forms of policing such as team policing. In both the community relations movement and team policing, there was an attempt to create more public support for the police, while at the same time providing them with a clearer role in community public…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The component of community partnership in Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) is that the “collaborative partnerships between the law enforcement agency and the individuals and organizations they serve to develop solutions to problems and increase trust in police” (Community Policing Defined, 2012). The second component in Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) is the organizational transformation which is “the alignment of organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems to support community partnerships and proactive problem solving” (Community Policing Defined, 2012). Lastly, the problem solving component for the Community Oriented Policing and Problem Solving (COPPS) would be described as “the process of engaging in the proactive and systematic examination of identified problems to develop and evaluate effective responses” (Community Policing Defined, 2012). Compared to the traditional policing it services is an “incident-driven style, handling each incident as if it had neither a past nor future related to other BART issues or incidents” (Rainey,…

    • 607 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Police community relations programs have not only improved the attitude of minority groups, and the entire public as a whole towards the police, but have also created a positive impact on communities by lowering the crime rate. Strategies used for community policing are as diverse as the population of the United States itself, but they all share the common goal of promoting strong relationships with those who in the past were underrepresented and abused. These programs continue to ensure an understanding between the justice system and the public, and are necessary for harmony between the…

    • 1195 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Community policing is a program cities have continuously supported. When law enforcement officers interact in a positive manner with the citizens, it helps to create a sense of trust. If police officers create opportunities to meet people on a friendly level, it may change their negative points of view. For example, having “coffee-with-a-cop” sessions or holding a “car-seat check” station for new parents, and going out of their way to help indigent people, are all ways of presenting a human side to the police. The greatest obstacle in implementing community policing can be directly related to the refusal to implement change.…

    • 1621 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The relationship between police and the community is extremely important. To have a trusting relationship between the two gives our communities a sense of security. The police deal with problems that most of us are not aware of on a daily basis. There job to serve and protect our communities. In doing that there are problems and struggles police face. Having the communities support help make out streets safe. There are many who are not willing to helpin fact, some may have a negative outlook on the police. Reducing crime and improving quality of life is the goal. In order to make that happen there must be problem-solving tactics and strategies to improve. Some believe that community policing and problem-solving policing may be the key strategies to use in policing our nation.…

    • 1237 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    Crime In Chicago

    • 1453 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Chicago police are so busy fighting major crime, that people are starting to feel panicked and alone in the battle against violence. This sense of nervousness results in an increased possession of illegal firearms throughout the city, which in return is a possible reason for the high crime rates in Chicago. Not only do the police and gun problems result in violence, but so does the quality of life. The main problem with the quality of life in Chicago is that the youth is being introduced to violence at a very young age. Kids in many of the impoverished neighborhoods where the crime happens most, commonly spend most of their time out on the streets playing with other children. Some of these children don’t have great lives at home or a home at all. According to The Chicago Tribune, "There's too many young people who are out here who have no family, and so their friends become their family,"(Gorner). This can result in a dangerous situation because without the right role models, these children are prone to befriending dangerous people and can start to interact in the violence themselves, creating a whole cycle of danger. Obviously, Chicago can’t relieve its violence problem overnight, but with enough support and effort Chicago can surely bounce back to what it once was. The main solutions require additional employment opportunities in the city, an increase of community programs and a better relationship between law enforcement and citizens. These efforts will hopefully help to put an end to current violence in Chicago and prevent new crimes from happening in the…

    • 1453 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    Community policing is explained as a collaboration of community and the police working together to help identify and solve criminal activities. Additionally, the whole concept behind it is to promote public safety and to enhance the quality of life within the neighborhoods in which we reside in. Community policing is composed of two major components which are community partnership and problem solving. Community policing is a program that was initially started in the 1940’s. All of the support that was released for this program was materialized actually in the 1980’s. One of the main goals if not the most important goal was to bring in the law enforcement closer to their local public to help better establish relationships and partnerships. They would build these relationships and partnerships with local businesses, group organizations, local residents and social service agencies. The whole reason behind building these relationships was to help each other in the long run of having a better understanding of what was actually needed by the community and to address local problems. (Community Justice, pg. 26-7) Like we discussed earlier, partnerships and relationships are very important for community policing, but another topic for it would be organizational transformation. An easy to understand description of organizational transformation would be the alignment of organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems that support community partnerships and problem solving. In my own words community policing is a better way to help our police force from being in multiple places at one time. For instance neighborhood watch programs are a great asset to have when you have the local community monitoring actions and situations that are occurring. With this type of program established, it gives the local police a chance to venture off into other locations to ensure they are patrolling in other…

    • 1140 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    United States Department of Justice. (2004, June). United States Department of Justice. Retrieved September 12, 2010, from COPS: Community Oriented Policing Services: http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp/Item=1374…

    • 957 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Community policing is a practical solution to combat tension and improve law enforcement. It is a collaborative effort…

    • 379 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The concept of Chicago Alternative Policing Strategy (CAPS) was implemented in April 1993, with the idea of community policing. Officers are assigned to a neighborhood so that they become familiar with the residents and the residents become familiar with them. Through this familiarity evolved transference of communication and crime tips, prevention and awareness. Policing is no longer reactive but became proactive, and the citizens became involved in the resolutions of their neighborhood. A partnership was formed with police, residents, businesses and community leaders…

    • 847 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Community Policing

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What is community policing? Community policing is a working partnership with a community that helps make the environment a better place to live in. This partnership with the community has goals such as reducing neighborhood crime, helping to reduce fear of crime and enhancing the quality of life in the community. And it does so with the help of police, local government and community members. With the collaboration between the police and the community, community policing should identify problems of crime and disorder and then involve the community to find solutions. By doing so there should be less serious crimes in the community and a better atmosphere. All in all, community policing is basically a relationship between the police and the community to create a better atmosphere so there is less crime rates.…

    • 885 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Proactive Policing

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Community Orientated Policing is widely held as the new and correct style for American policing. For the past decade the community policing movement has been gaining momentum acquiring the support of politicians, scholars, reformers, and the public. Police chiefs around the country are now feeling the pressures of implementation from citizens and local government officials. Many high ranking professional police organization have placed their seal of approval on the new style of policing, including the Police Executive Research forum, the Police Foundation, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, The National Organization Of Black Law Enforcement Executives, And the National Sheriff's Association. The following U.S. presidents Bill Clinton, George Bush, And Ronald Reagan have all supported community policing, and with the recent passage of the 1994 Crime Act, community policing has received the approval and go ahead from the Federal government (Maguire p368). Due to the involvement of the federal government many American police departments are reporting that they already have or are attempting to implement a community policing program, eventhough a large number of them do not fully understand the implication and obstacles they face with the implementation of the program. Most of the agencies are just inquiring due to the funding. Most of the police organizations applying for the grants do not fully understand the new style, and either intentionally or unintentionally misuse the funds. Community orientated policing is a proactive philosophy that promotes solving problems that are either criminal, affect the quality of life, or increase citizens fear of crime. It involves identifying, analyzing and addressing community problems at their source. Unfortunately, many individuals, both in and outside of policing see community policing as merely putting officers on foot or bike patrol, or by opening mini-stations amongst the community. These approaches…

    • 1169 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays