Proactive Policing

The profession of policing will always have a reactionary component to providing police services to the community. Although it is understandable that citizens’ frustrations can run high with this type of response, members of the public cannot expect the police to be everywhere at one time in order to prevent every crime from occurring. There will always be some sort of a reactionary response in the policing profession. However, proactive policing efforts have developed over the years and provide a greater police response to addressing crime issues.
Proactive policing is a simple concept. Proactive policing efforts are self-initiated police activities that prevent crime from occurring. Some examples of proactive policing efforts that citizens are familiar with would include officers issuing traffic citations, completing field interviews, and stakeouts. Although this type of policing is proactive, citizens see these actions as more of an enforcement effort than a care taking function for the community. In order to turn the perception of police being a reactionary force into a proactive force several things need to occur.
The ultimate goal of every police organization is to gain and maintain trust within the community. With trust, citizens will become supportive of the police department
and, in turn, be willing to work with the police in order to create a safe community to live in. Many departments across the country have developed Citizens on Patrol or a Code Blue program. This voluntary program allows the citizens to work closely with the police department and become ambassadors for the police department and city. This one proactive police program instantly garners support from the citizens and gives the police department more “eyes and ears” on the street to prevent crime before it occurs. There are many other programs the police and academics alike have developed to encourage community engagement.
The police athletic league is designed for the police to interact with inner city low-income youths with sporting events in order to prevent criminal activity from high-risk offenders. The police explorer program allows young teenagers an opportunity to interact with the police department and provide a pathway into the law enforcement profession. Minister and clergy programs are designed to bridge the gap between the citizens and the police. They provide a valuable partnership in areas of the community that have strained relationships with the police department.
Even though there will always be a reactive component in law enforcement, it is many of the proactive efforts that citizens appreciate and support.
In order to change the perception and reality that law enforcement is proactive force, citizen engagement is paramount. Community outreach programs allows the citizens to humanize police officers, they can put a name to the face and develop a long lasting relationships. As long as that relationship is continually cultivated, the trust within the community will grow and the overwhelming support will follow. The crucial goal is for the community and the police to work together in order to provide a safe place to live and
work.