Abstract
Building trust relations with the police and the public is one of the goals of community policing. Police Agencies engage in activities that will ensure that trust relations are ensured between the community and them. Dallas Police Department is one such Agency that employs several methods, including patrols and community-oriented policing, to foster trust relations. Community policing is key in ensuring that not only trust relations but the needs of the specific community are satisfied. This paper, therefore, explores Dallas Police Department and provides various findings and recommendations. The paper also explains the concept of community-oriented policing, including its mission and goals. The paper also explains the theory of social disorganization and its implications on the concept of community policing. Additionally, there are both pros and cons of community-oriented policing. In conclusion, community policing remains key in curbing crime and ensuring the community trusts the law enforcers and their needs are satisfied.
INTRODUCTION
In recent years, the city of Dallas has experienced countless setbacks, including public distrust and an unsafe neighborhood. To the extent that the former Chief of Police Alysha Renee Hall left in December 2020 amid rising violent crime and criticism of her handling of Black Lives Matter protests. The Dallas Police Department (DPD) needs this strategy to rebuild trust and good relationships between its community and the people they serve. Community Oriented Policing (COP) impacts diverse and comprehensive tactics to reduce and eliminate crime and disorder. These tactics include asking the public to take on responsibility for crime reduction, immediately reporting crimes to the police, standing in as a witness when crimes occur, and collaborating with the police to discover a way to solve crime and disorder in the Community (Cossyleon, 2019). Community policing approaches are described as a collection of crime preventative measures that encourage establishing a relationship between police and the people, in contrast to traditional policing, which primarily focuses on punishment to stop crime.
Building trust between uniformed police officers and the broader public has been a goal of community policing approaches. Therefore, the police department should implement and assess the strategy of community policing by first identifying the specific goals they hope to achieve through this policing. Once these goals are identified, the police should develop a plan to best engage with community members to achieve these objectives. The plan should build trust among the police officers and members of the community and improve communication and cooperation between both groups. The success of community policing depends heavily on buy-in from both sides; without support from either law enforcement or citizens, it is unlikely that this type of policing will be successful (Cossyleon, 2019). Therefore, any plan for implementing and assessing community policing must include mechanisms for gauging satisfaction levels among both groups. The paper describes Dallas Police Department, Community-Oriented Policing, and Social Disorganization theory to understand more about crime prevention in the community.
Dallas Police Department (DPD) Agency
The Dallas Police Department is the primary Agency of law enforcement offering service to the city of Dallas in Texas. DPD is headquartered at 1400 South Lamar Street in Downtown Dallas. The Agency employs over 3,500 sworn officers and 600 civilian workers, becoming the second-largest department of police in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and the fifth-largest police department in Texas (Ba et al., 2021). The department provides law enforcement services to millions of residents in Dallas and its surrounding suburbs by protecting them and ensuring they abide by the set laws (Donner & Popovich, 2018). The department is organized into nine divisions: Patrol, Homeland Security, Investigation, Support Services, Traffic, Narcotics, Gang, Organized Crime, and Vice. The Patrol Division carries out patrols in the city and responds to various service calls. The role of the Investigative Division is to investigate crimes. The Support Services Division’s role is to offer support services to the DPD, such as training, human resources, and information technology.
The Administrative Division is responsible for the department’s administrative functions, such as budgeting and planning. Dallas Police Department was established in 1881 when Dallas City was first incorporated. The department has a long history of serving the Dallas community and has been involved in some of the most notable events in Dallas history, including the Texas School Book Depository shooting and the Dallas police shooting (Shjarback et al., 2021). Dallas Police Department is an agency of law enforcement accredited nationally by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the National Police Accreditation Commission (NPAC) also accredited the department. Dallas Police Department commits to offering a high quality of service to the residents of Dallas. The department strives to reduce crime and enhance life quality in Dallas by working in community partnerships and providing a professional, efficient, and courteous law enforcement service.
Methods used by Dallas Police Department in Community Policing
The Dallas Police Department (DPD) has a long history of community policing, dating back to the early 1990s when the department first implemented community policing district programs. Since then, the department has continued evolving its community policing efforts to meet the city’s changing needs. The DPD currently uses a variety of community policing methods, including community and problem-oriented policing, directed patrol, and hot spot policing. Problem-oriented policing (POP) is one of the proactive techniques of policing that puts focus on solving the underlying causes of crime and disorder (De Soto, 2018). POP is based on the premise that crime results from a complex interplay of social, economic, and physical factors. To be effective, POP requires a comprehensive understanding of the factors contributing to crime and disorder in a particular area. The DPD has used POP to address various issues, including gang violence, prostitution, and drug dealing.
Community-oriented policing (COP) is one of the policing philosophies that stress the importance of building strong relations between the police and the community. The philosophy is based on the notion that police are more effective in working closely with society to identify and solve problems (Przeszlowski & Crichlow, 2018). The DPD has used COP to develop several innovative programs, including the Neighborhood Patrol Program and the Citizens on Patrol Program. In addition, the department has established several community engagement programs that aim to build trust and improve cooperation between the police and society. These programs include forums for community policing, citizen police academies, and ride-along. Hot spot policing is among the proactive method of policing that focus on addressing crime and disorder in specific locations (Haberman & Stiver, 2019). The idea behind hot spot policing is that by concentrating their efforts in certain places where crime is prevalent, police may substantially impact crimes and unrest. The DPD has used hot spot policing to address various issues, including drug dealing, prostitution, and gang violence.
A directed patrol is also among the proactive approaches to policing that focus on solving crime and disorder in specific locations. Directed patrol is predicated on the idea that by concentrating their efforts in certain areas, police can substantially impact crime and disturbance. The DPD has used directed patrol to address various issues, including drug dealing, prostitution, and gang violence. The department works with various community groups and organizations to build trust and improve communication. Jonsson (2021) states that the police department will hold community and civil meetings regularly to update society on what is happening within the department and get feedback from residents. The police department employs several crime prevention programs as part of its community policing efforts. These programs address specific crime problems and engage residents in prevention. Some programs include neighborhood watch groups, business watches, and youth programs.
Strengths
The DPD has been an early adopter of community policing principles and practices and has been a pioneer in many of the specific techniques and strategies associated with this approach to law enforcement. The department has been leading at the forefront in community policing activities. One of the strengths of the DPD’s Community policing efforts is its commitment to building relationships with the community. The department has been very clear about its commitment to community policing and has consistently implemented this approach over time (Cossyleon, 2019). The department has several programs and initiatives designed to engage the community and build trust with the public and the police. The community policing programs employed by the department are based on the principle of partnership for public safety involving the police and the community. The department works closely with community leaders to identify challenges and develop answers tailored to the community’s needs. Another strength of the DPD is its focus on problem-solving (Jonsson, 2021). The department works proactively to identify and solve problems that impact public safety.
The department has a long history of working with community groups and has established several formal and informal partnerships with community organizations. The department has several initiatives designed to address specific problems that impact the Community (Cressey, 2012; Jonsson, 2021). Thirdly is the use of technology by the DPD in Community policing. The department has effectively used technology to support its community policing efforts. The department has been a leader in police-related technology and has used it to improve its community policing efforts. The department has several programs and initiatives designed to utilize technology to improve public safety and link police officers and the general populace. The department also utilizes technology to improve the efficiency of its operations. Typically, technology has enabled the department to successfully use data and information to guide its community policing efforts. The department has collected and analyzed a great deal of data on crime and disorder in Dallas and has used this information to target its resources and effort.
Limitations
The Dallas Police Department is one such police Agency that has been greatly criticized for carrying out community policing actions. While the department has made some progress in recent years, significant limitations still need to be addressed. One of the biggest problems is that the department has slowly embraced community policing as a core philosophy. The slow trend has led to mistrust and a lack of cooperation between the cops and the general populace (Cho et al., 2021). Another issue is that the department has been reluctant to use new technology and strategies that could improve community policing. For example, the department has been slow to adopt body-worn cameras and reluctant to use data-driven policing methods. The DPD has been criticized for using surveillance cameras, which are ineffective in reducing crime. In addition, Gascón & Roussell (2019) reveal that the department has been criticized for its lack of accountability which has made it difficult for the community to hold the police accountable for their actions.
The DPD has been criticized for its use of stop-and-frisk tactics, which allow officers to stop and search people without probable cause. The practice is disproportionately used against minorities and is ineffective in reducing crime. The DPD has also been criticized for its lack of transparency in its use of force policies. The department has been slow to release information about officer-involved shootings and has been reluctant to release body camera footage of these incidents. Additionally, the DPD has been criticized for its reliance on technology over community engagement (De Soto, 2018). The department has been criticized for using predictive policing, which relies on data-driven algorithms to identify crime hotspots. The practice is biased against minority communities. According to McCabe et al. (2020), the police agency faces the problem of racial bias, which results in black motorists being treated unfairly and being stopped more frequently by the police compared to their counterparts, white people of US ancestry.
Key Findings
There are several findings about the Agency, especially its strengths and limitations in community policing. First, (De Soto, 2018) reveals that African-American individuals are much more fearful of the law enforcement personnel who protect their neighborhoods due to their ruthless policing actions. Secondly, all races and cultures agree that female cops generally use much less force than male officers in the Agency. Typically, Black and Hispanic officers stop and jail considerably fewer people than white officers, and they employ force less frequently overall, especially for Black civilians (Ba et al. 2018). The third key finding is that the police in the Agency lacks proper support from management, which further complicates the already existing challenging situation faced by police personnel (Jonsson, 2021). Fourth is that police shooting is done inaccurately, and the officer’s death reduces the various types of arrests (Cho et al., 2021). The fifth is that there exist high corruption levels among the stakeholders involved in community policing as they try to bury justice and evade the effects of law application.
Recommendations
Based on the key findings, there are several recommendations that the Agency may employ to make its service delivery effective during community policing. All citizens and residents within Dallas should be served equally without racism and prejudice. The cops need to employ no priority on the whites and mistreat the blacks, but fair treatment should be given to all. Secondly, the cops, whether male or female, should use the same magnitude of force during community policing. The Agency needs, therefore, to ensure diversity in its employment of the police. There are no inferior cops or superior cops, but all cops are equal depending on their category and duty. Thirdly, the management of the Dallas Police Department needs to provide all the assistance needed by their police to motivate them in their work despite the challenges they encounter on the ground during policing activities. Fourth, there needs to be a margin of the enforcement activities of the cops in community policing to help alleviate the challenges of inaccurate shootings. Fifth, high ethical considerations need to be enforced, and structures put in to ensure high levels of integrity and curb possible corruption issues from community policing processes.
Community-Oriented Policing
Community-oriented policing is a strategy of policing which focuses on building relations and partnerships with society to solve problems and improve public safety. The approach relies on the assertion that police cannot solve all of the community’s problems independently and that the community has a role in solving problems and keeping the neighborhood safe (Lombardo & Donner, 2017). The community-policing approach seeks to improve police and general public interactions. The approach first appeared as part of the US civil rights movement in the 1960s, when authorities aimed to reduce the social barrier between citizens and police to restore the credibility of the police (Akarsu, 2020). Community-oriented policing is built on community partnership which means that police officers work with community members to identify and provide solutions to the problems. The approach is based on the belief that community members are experts on the issues that affect their lives and that they should be involved in decisions about addressing these issues.
Community-oriented policing is not a new concept. The concept has been around for many years, but it has gained popularity recently as a way to address the growing mistrust of police officers by the public. Community policing is a policing concept that is customized to the changing demands of local communities, and it has been established and applied in various ways over time and in various settings (Cossyleon, 2019). There are many different ways that police departments can implement community-oriented policing. Some of the most common methods include community policing units: The units are made up of police officers specifically assigned to work with community members on problem-solving. Secondly, the police-community advisory boards comprise community members who work with police officers to identify and address community concerns (Lombardo & Donner, 2017). The third is through Citizen academies designed to give community members an inside look at how their police department works. The fourth is through the neighborhood watch programs, which bring community members and police officers together to work on crime prevention in their neighborhoods.
Mission And Goals
The mission of community-oriented policing is to work with the community to note problems and provide solutions to enhance life quality (Cossyleon, 2019). The goals of community-oriented policing are to build trust and legitimacy between the police and the community, reduce crime and crime fear and enhance the quality of life among the community members.
Target Population
The target population in community-oriented policing is typically composed of individuals at risk for criminal or anti-social behavior (Cho et al., 2021). Such persons include individuals who were previously convicted of a crime or certain offenses, individuals who are known to associate with other individuals that have been arrested or convicted for criminal activities, individuals who live in areas with high rates of crime as well as individuals who are considered to be at risk for victimization, for instance, the women and the elderly.
Elements of Community Policing
In order to be successful, community policing must be adopted as an agency-wide philosophy and implemented at all levels of the organization. The approach must be supported by strong leadership, adequate resources, and a commitment to continuous training and community engagement. The first key element of community policing is partnerships. Police agencies must develop strong working relationships with the Community, local businesses, and other government agencies. The partnerships are essential to identifying and addressing the underlying conditions leading to public safety issues. The second element in community policing is problem-Solving (Cossyleon, 2019). Police agencies must proactively identify and address the root causes of crime and disorder. The approach requires a comprehensive understanding of the community’s problems and developing creative and innovative solutions. Organizational Change is the third element whereby police agencies must be willing to change how they do business to implement community policing. The approach may require changes in policies, procedures, and how personnel is deployed.
The fourth element in community policing is leadership. Typically, police agencies like the DPD must have strong and effective leaders committed to the philosophy of community policing. The leaders must be able to inspire and motivate their employees to buy into the concept and put it into practice. Training is the fifth element whereby police agencies must provide their employees with the training necessary to implement community policing. The ongoing training should cover various topics, including cultural diversity, community relations, and problem-solving. Community engagement is the sixth element of community policing (Audu, 2022). Police agencies like the DPD must concerted effort to engage the community in all aspects of community policing. The efforts would involve soliciting input from the community on police policies and procedures, involving the community in problem-solving efforts, and providing the community with information on the police department’s activities and accomplishments.
Implementation Plan
The Community policing plan is a proactive approach to crime prevention that involves the community and police working together to solve local problems. The Community policing plan is tailored to the community’s specific needs and the available resources. The first step in implementing the Community policing plan is to assess the needs of the community to find ways of addressing them (Lombardo & Donner, 2017). The assessment can be done through surveys, focus groups, or other means of gathering input from residents. The needs assessment identifies the community’s priorities for safety and security. There is all-important to involve a cross-section of the community in the needs assessment so that the plan reflects the diverse perspectives of those who live, play, and do work within the community. Once the community’s needs have been identified, the next step is to develop strategies to address those needs. The strategies should be based on the findings of the needs assessment and should be tailored to the resources and capabilities of the police department.
The strategies should be realistic and achievable and have measurable goals. After the strategies have been developed, the next step is implementing them. The implementation includes developing operational plans, training police officers, and working with the community to raise awareness of the community policing plan. The operational plans should be designed to satisfy specific needs within the community and the resources of the police department. The training should ensure that police officer comprehends the community policing plan and can implement it effectively (Cossyleon, 2019). The community outreach should provide information about the community policing plan and how it can make the community safer. The Community policing plan should be reviewed and updated regularly. The review should assess the effectiveness of the community policing plan and make changes as necessary. The Community policing plan should be flexible to adjust to meet the community’s changing needs.
Social Disorganization Theory
The theory of Social disorganization is a theory of social science in nature that seeks to explain crime and violence in terms of the structural and cultural characteristics of communities. The theory is rooted in the work of Robert Park and Ernest Burgess (1925), who argued that crime and violence are the natural consequences of urbanization. According to Park and Burgess, the rapid growth of cities leads to the breakdown of social cohesion and the rise of crime and violence. The theory was further developed by Shaw and McKay (1942), that claimed that crime and violence are the products of social disorganization (Bellair, 2017). Shaw and McKay defined social disorganization as the “lack of conformity to social norms and values”(Bellair, 2017). They argued that crime and violence are most likely to occur in communities characterized by social disorganization.
The theory was further elaborated by Shaw and colleagues, who argued that social disorganization is the product of three factors: residential mobility, family disruption, and economic deprivation. Residential mobility refers to the movement of people in and out of a community. Family disruption refers to the breakdown of the nuclear family (Akers et al., 2021). Economic deprivation refers to the lack of economic resources. Shaw and colleagues argued that the three factors lead to the breakdown of social cohesion and increased crime and violence. Interaction within the Community fosters social cohesion, strengthening social ties (Przeszlowski & Crichlow, 2018). Shaw and colleagues claimed that residential mobility leads to the breakdown of social bonds, family disruption leads to weakening social controls, and economic deprivation leads to weakening the informal economy.
Implications For Community Policing
The implications of social disorganization theory in community policing are far-reaching. The theory suggests that crime is a product of the breakdown of social structures and the resulting lack of social cohesion. Crime is more likely to occur in communities with low social cohesion and weak social structures. The theory has several implications for community policing. First, social disorganization theory suggests that community policing should focus on strengthening social structures and increasing social cohesion (Przeszlowski & Crichlow, 2018). There are a variety of means, such as community organizing, building social capital, and providing social services that can strengthen social structures and build cohesion within the community.
Second, social disorganization theory suggests that community policing should focus on preventing crime rather than responding to it after it occurs. Community policing should therefore focus on identifying and addressing the root causes of crime. Third, social disorganization theory provides that community policing should be tailored to the specific needs of each community. Community policing strategies should be designed to address the unique needs of each community as opposed to using one size fits in all approaches. Fourth, social disorganization theory asserts that community policing should be proactive and preventative (Przeszlowski & Crichlow, 2018). The theory implies that community policing should focus on preventing crime before it occurs rather than simply responding to it after it has occurred. Fifth, the theory provides that community policing should be collaborative, implying community policing should involve a partnership between law enforcers and society, to collaborate and work together to curb crime.
Pros of Community-Oriented Policing
The ability to foster trust between the community and the police is one of the key advantages of community-oriented policing. Police officers are more likely to be viewed as a part of the community and less as an outside force when they get to know the residents (Akarsu, 2020). Community-oriented policing can also lead to increased intelligence gathering. Police officers seen as part of the community are more likely to be approached by community members with information about crimes. Another advantage of community-oriented policing is that it can help to prevent crime. When police officers are seen as part of the community, they can deter crime. Also, community-oriented policing can increase satisfaction for police officers and community members. Police officers who feel like they are part of the community are more likely to be satisfied with their jobs. Community members who have positive interactions with the police are also more likely to be satisfied with the police force.
Cons
One of the main disadvantages of community-oriented policing is that it can be time-consuming and resource-intensive. Police officers need to be visible and engaging to build trust and strong relationships with the communities they serve. The action often means spending time on foot patrol or attending community events, which can drain police resources, particularly in areas with high crime rates. Another disadvantage is that it can be difficult to maintain officer buy-in. Some officers may view community-oriented policing as a waste of time or an extra burden on their already busy schedules (Akarsu, 2020). Others may be resistant to building relationships with community members, particularly if they have had negative experiences in the past. Without buy-in from all officers, it can be difficult to implement community-oriented policing effectively. There is also the potential for community-oriented policing to backfire. If police officers are not genuine in their efforts to connect with the community, they may be perceived as inauthentic or insincere.
Conclusion
Community policing involves the use of all available measures that will help establish a cordial relationship between the police and society. Dallas Police Department (DPD) is among the Police agencies located and serving in Dallas that has employed several strategies to build trust and good relationships with the community. Some of the methods employed by DPD include problem and community-oriented policing, hot spot policing, and directed patrol. The DPD employs all methods to ensure trustworthy relations with the community and that their problems and needs are met. However, despite its efforts to foster police-community relations, there has been a high reluctance to use technology to implement community policing actions. In addition, lack of administration, corruption, and prejudice at the Agency makes it difficult to conduct effective community policing. Typically, community policing seeks better relations with the public and the police. Social disorganization theory provides that community policing should be tailored toward addressing the community’s specific needs. Community policing helps reduce crime and meet community needs, but the action requires time and resource use.
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