NCJ Number
77759
Date Published
1978
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Based upon the example of the Japanese police and their relationship to the communities they serve, this paper suggests changes to be made in American police departments to bring about better police and citizen interaction and cooperation.
Abstract
Several features of the Japanese police should be examined closely to determine if they would be useful to the American police. The allocation of police responsibilities in Japan among national, regional, and local governments was brought about after consolidation of the many smaller forces created after World War II. The National Police Agency ensures police mobility, guaranteeing broad experience and maximum creativity among police executives. Training for prefectural and regional levels is standardized and mandatory for every promotion in rank. The most remarkable aspect of the Japanese police is their close relationship with the local citizenry -- a relationship uncommon in modern American life. This relationship is maintained by the deployment of Japanese police officers to fixed, small geographic areas, by the requirement to survey their local community periodically, and by their use of neighborhood groups and citizen organizations as major forces in crime prevention. To accomplish some changes which could lead to better police-citizen relationship, American police should focus on a single objective of engendering greater police-citizen interaction and cooperation. Shifts of power must be balanced with compensation. Incentive systems must be made to reconcile the conflict between the need to respond to dispatcher calls and the need for other services. Above all, the role of the chief executive in overseeing reform is critical.