The Three Eras Of Policing In America

The history of policing in America is divided into three eras. The political era, the reform era, and the community problem solving era. According to Kelling and Moore the community era of policing began in the 1970’s and continues today and was brought about due to declining public support and trust of the police. The citizens needed to believe the police cared about the communities they patrolled and were not just there to do a job. Police were isolated from the community especially in areas where the population was mostly minorities and there was a great deal of mistrust between the police and the citizens which led to higher crime and social disorder rates (Kelling & Moore 1988).
Community policing was introduced as a strategy to let the citizens of the communities know police are people too and they care about the communities they patrol. It involved organizational change within police departments across the United States. Community policing addresses issues proactively as compared to reacting to a situation after it has happened. Police officers and citizens work together by communicating with each other the needs of the community, determining the problems they have, and
It will take partnerships with businesses, citizens, emergency management, and many other public and private organizations. The community era of policing that we are still currently in has allowed law enforcement agencies to establish a closer relationship with citizens to identify threats in the community preventing fear and social disorder. However thirteen years after the tragedy of September 11, 2001 the community policing era appears to have been exposed for the tactic it is and not the strategy it was proposed to be. Most police agencies across the United States have one again went back to practicing traditional policing methods that are reactive instead of