Community Policing

Community policing, or community-oriented policing, is a philosophy in US policing. Under this framework, police departments and communities ideally work in partnership to reduce crime and address social problems. Community policing strategies are based on the idea that police work cannot be done effectively if communities do not trust officers. Thus, this style of police work primarily focuses on officers establishing community relations to build trust and reduce public tensions toward police.

Community policing has provided an ideological approach for police departments across the United States. Though strategies differ, core components of community policing include forming local partnerships, aligning internal policies with community needs, and emphasizing problem solving. However, critics argue that funds spent on community policing strategies could be...