Community Policing vs. Team Policing
The United States has experimented with different types of police work. Community policing and team policing being two of the most common. In a country as diverse as the U.S., both team policing and community policing have been implemented in various communities where enforcement of the law and protection of specific neighborhoods were emphasized.
However, pros and cons exist for both types of police work; with team policing falling to community policing. Team policing failed because of poor implementation of a small police force in general areas; as well as lack of support by their respective communities, while community policing emphasized outreach and a personal responsive presence between officers
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Other potential problems were unclear definition of goals, the danger of goal displacement, the conflicting demands of control and autonomy, the hazards of success, and the hazards of inflated expectations” (Walker, 1993). Poor communication between departments further widened the rift between civilians and police, while also creating conflict between the officers. Community policing is widely practiced by police forces today, and offers a more
“personal” relationship between the officers and the community they are serving. This program illustrates the importance of supportive, nonthreatening interaction between police and the public. According to a journal written by M A Wycoff, “Benefits of Community Policing:
Evidence and Conjecture, wrote that “Program goals [included] improved citizen attitudes toward the police, improved police attitudes toward citizens, more effective police service as defined by the police, and more effective service as defined by citizens” (Wycoff, 1988). Unlike team policing, community policing had goals that set them apart and motivated officers to create bonds with the neighborhoods they patrol. In community policing, all strategies implemented were community based. This included coordinated community policing, community