NCJ Number
184522
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 67 Issue: 8 Dated: August 2000 Pages: 108-114
Editor(s)
Charles E. Higginbotham
Date Published
August 2000
Length
4 pages
Annotation
The key to a successful transition to community policing lies in understanding police organizations and organizational change.
Abstract
Many police departments adopting the community policing and problem-solving model are finding that their strategic plans cannot be implemented because certain and sometimes inexplicable forces are impeding their efforts. One problem is that police departments attain stability by controlling the work and centralizing control. Significant organizational change is required in the transition to community policing, but maintaining a suitable rate of change is essential because change can produce positive and negative effects. For successful change, systems thinking is necessary at every level of the police department. Systems thinking is a conceptual framework that recognizes the contribution of each component to the system. As community policing is implemented, the appropriate role of police management is to remove identifiable systems obstacles. Police management can remove these obstacles in several ways: (1) initiate structural changes before or in conjunction with operational changes; (2) organize by customer rather than by function; (3) revise the hierarchy to ensure compatibility with the new vision, values, and mission statement of community policing; and (4) recognize the significance of inter-divisional relationships. If activities are prioritized, police officers have the opportunity to engage in problem-solving, crime prevention, and the development of working partnerships with the public. 7 footnotes and 2 figures