These are a classmates initial posts for the assignment completed in order #573816. We have to respond to one classmate post and this is one of those from a classmate. Please respond to their post constructively and thoughtfully. Sources aren’t required but use if/as needed.
“Relationships between the police and residents in a neighborhood can be extremely important when looking at the crime rates of the neighborhood. Being able to alleviate the hostility and tensions between the police and residents can help reduce crime rates in many areas (Gatson and Brunson (2020), p. 189). Weak relationships between the two parties can prove to be detrimental as it is a sign that the collective efficacy of the neighborhood is relatively low. A low collective efficacy translates to higher crime rates as individuals will not be inclined to worry about others, but rather only about their own self-efficacy. These weak relationships also are good indicators that residents will not report crimes, assist officers, or report crimes occurring in their neighborhood (Braga et al. (2019), p. 536). One way the police can become a more legitimate and reliable force in many of these disadvantaged neighborhoods where crime is high, is through the implementation of community policing.
Community policing involves police officers making efforts to develop collective efficacy and a strong social infrastructure for the residents of the neighborhood (Braga et al. (2019), p. 547). Community policing is a strategy that has been implemented for several decades now, but it does require the use of other strategies such as problem-oriented policing or hot-spots policing (Weisburd and Eck (2004), p. 53). The most defining factor about community policing is that it helps improve relationships between the residents and police officers as it is a more proactive form of policing that forces police officers to interact with the community. Community policing does take a more positive approach when implemented effectively as it does help improve relationships of everyone involved. One of the most important effects of community policing is its ability to reduce the level of fear in the neighborhood (Weisburd and Eck (2004), p. 53). This is an important factor in building trust and helping increase resident involvement in terms of identifying criminals and reporting crimes.
Some negative aspects of community policing is that research on it is rather difficult to acquire because it is very broad and is usually implemented with other strategies (Braga et al. (2019), p. 547). The effectiveness of community policing cannot be truly determined and this is an important factor when promoting policy and strategies. Another issue is that data illustrates that police officers may actually be resonating place-based discrimination rather than race-based discrimination (Gatson and Brunson (2020), p. 209). It was determined that the location played a major role in many police encounters as people in higher crime neighborhoods were found to be stopped more than locations with lower crime rates regardless of the demographic breakdown of the neighborhood (Gatson and Brunson (2020), p. 209). This only decreases the trust of police officers and residents in places where it is needed most, which is in these high crime neighborhoods.
Community policing can be an effective factor in building trust and relationships between residents and police officers. It is this relationship that can help reduce crime because it will help develop collective efficacy among the residents and create a form of informal social order. (Julio Revoredo)”
