NCJ Number
191020
Journal
Criminal Justice Review Volume: 25 Issue: 2 Dated: Autumn 2000 Pages: 234-245
Editor(s)
Richard J. Terrill
Date Published
2000
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This paper examined the impact of increased metropolitanization and the implications for policing.
Abstract
America has moved quickly from an urbanized to a metropolitan society. This shift has many implications and has affected social institutions, including law enforcement. Although these changes are widely recognized, the important elements of the context of policing have been neglected in the intellectual functioning and the practice of contemporary approaches to policing. The concentration of poverty and racial isolation had become the "elephant in the living room"-- obvious and omnipresent but often unacknowledged or ignored. This paper examined recent changes in communities and discussed the implications for policing, focusing on medium and small sized cities in New York State. The paper recommended that managers of police take advantage of an open-systems view that encourages them to consider what has become the elephant in the living room. An understanding of population demographics and their consequences contribute needed information for decisions regarding management of police resources. Metropolitan development can have implication for police recruitment, training, and deployment of officers. Police should encourage cooperation across urban, suburban, and rural departments, and managers should be proactive in examining the demands in expanding their mission. It also noted the importance of maintaining and enforcing clear standards. The importance of understanding the patterns of change altering American communities is not limited to managerial concerns.