Community Policing Exchange, March/April 1995.

Introduction to Community Policing


Article One
Community Policing Strategies Offer Promise of Improved Public Safety

The time is ripe for change--within policing, within government, within our communities. 
Violent crime rates are soaring.  Inner cities continue to deteriorate.  Suburbs, once havens from
the harsh realities of urban decay, can no longer claim that privilege.  And citizens in many areas
of the country are increasingly frustrated and in many cases alienated from the police.

In the search for solutions, the concept of community policing surfaces with ever more
regularity. There have been escalating demands for change throughout the criminal justice
system.  Nowhere within that system has the need for a new approach been more apparent than in
law enforcement.  In addition to calls for better laws and tougher enforcement, have been those
for a different style of policing, one focused on prevention as well as on apprehension.  The clear
winner thus far has been community policing.

But for all the recent attention given to the concept--by academics, the media, politicians, civic
leaders--community policing is not a proven panacea.  Indeed, police experts say that many
questions remain not only about how the community policing strategy will be implemented on a
grand scale, but about the results expected from such a program. This is largely why the Bureau
of Justice Assistance has established the Community Policing Consortium (CPC).  Led in
conjunction with BJA by four national police organizations-- the International Association of
Chiefs of Police, the National Sheriffs' Association, the Police Executive Research Forum, and
the Police Foundation--the consortium was established to help the nation's police plan and
implement community policing strategies in their respective communities.  The passage of the
new crime bill reinforces the federal government's commitment to that change.

But it is the police who will be at the cutting edge.  They, in essence, are being called upon to
provide leadership in the quest to safeguard and revitalize our communities.  So they must ask
the question, "What is community policing and what will it do for my department and the
community it serves?"

Community policing is an evolutionary, rather than a revolutionary idea.  Since the late 1970s, it
has cropped up as a police strategy in various ways, in various places, under various names,
including team policing, problem oriented policing, and community oriented policing.  While
programs in most instances could hardly be called identical, they all had one common element. 
The police were supposed to get out of their patrol cars and into their neighborhoods.  For
decades prior, conventional wisdom had held that omnipresent motor patrol would deter crime.
Research in the early 1970s proved that assumption to be false.  

It also showed empirically that there were benefits to turning to a style of policing reminiscent of
that described by T.A. Critchley writing of the establishment of the London Metropolitan Police
in 1929.  In  A History of Police in England and Wales, Critchley writes that "From the start, the
police was to be a homogeneous and democratic body, in tune with the people, belonging to the
people, and drawing its strength from the people."  England's Home Secretary Robert Peel made
certain that included in instructions to the new force would be the following:  "It should be
understood at the outset, that the object to be attained is the prevention of crime.  To this great
end every effort of the police is to be directed.  The security of person and property and the
preservation of a police establishment will thus be better effected than by the detection and
punishment of the offender after he has succeeded in committing crime..."

Research done on early community policing strategies clearly show that they made residents feel
more secure, increased trust between the police and the citizens, and enhanced citizen perception
of police services.  Al these, of course, are desirable goals and their attainment is necessary for
community policing to be a successful strategy.

Often drawn from the research findings are conclusions that Robert Peel might have found
unsurprising, i.e., that the increased contact between citizens and the police will result in a police
force more aware of the criminal activity in a given community and more able to collect and
analyze information that will contribute to prevention of crime as well as apprehension of
criminals.  Although these conclusions do appeal to logic, however, crime control has yet to be
indisputably proven as a benefit of community policing.

But the potential for this strategy is clearly there.  According to the eminent criminal justice
scholar, James Q. Wilson, community policing is based upon the following principles:
preventing crime is as important as arresting criminals;
preventing disorder is as important as preventing crime; and
reducing both crime and disorder requires that police work cooperatively with people in
neighborhoods to (1) identify their concerns, (2) solicit their help, and (3) solve their problems.

What the Community Policing Consortium intends to do is to lend assistance to the nation's
police as they incorporate these principles in their operational plans.  It will not be an easy task. 
Organization-wide implementation of community policing has significant implications for the
police culture, which has traditionally been a top-down, hierarchal organization, centrally
controlled.  Police officers will need the skills and the authority to interact with citizens and
make decisions on their behalf, all in the name of solving community problems and deterring
criminality.

Also mitigating against the quick fix, is the fact that community policing has been shown
effective in some communities and ineffective in others.  Determining why this is so and
devising alternate strategies that will be effective will not be accomplished overnight.

Moreover, it will take time to evaluate a wide range of community policing and sort out what
works and what doesn't.  What is cost-effective and what isn't.  How police and citizen roles will
be defined.  And how will the ideal community policing officer be recruited and trained.

With these challenges clearly before them, the U.S. Department of Justice, the parent
organization of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, and the partners in the BJA consortium hope to
bring about a quantum but considered change in policing that will contribute to solutions to
problems now plaguing the nation. BJA Consortium Executive Director Stephen Gaffigan says,
"We want this to work and will do whatever it takes.  As with most endeavors, communication is
crucial to success.  We want to hear from police in the field.  We want to know their concerns 
and how we can help them.  We, in turn, will do our best to make certain the resources they need
to succeed are available."  





Article Two-Professional Profile
The View From BJA's Dick Ward 

Exchange editors recently interviewed Richard Ward, director of BJA's Discretionary Grant 
Programs Division, which funds the development and administration of promising programs to
combat crime.  

Q.What sparked your interest in community policing?
A.Throughout my years of involvement with law enforcement, I heard a recurring theme from
enlightened police officials:  "We can't do the job ourselves."  They were overwhelmed by the
tremendous increase in crime and felt a widening gap between themselves and the people they
serve. In 1988, BJA began exploring ways to bring police and communities together to solve
mutual problems.  A series of community partnership programs explored how more community
cooperation can help police cope with problems.  We worked with the Police Executive Research
Forum on the notion of police officers as problem-solvers.  Goldstein and others were also
investigating ways to move away from the policing model that basically just put a cop in a car
and sent him out in response to a dispatch.  They wondered, "All right, we engage the
community, but then what do we do?"  

About that time, Darrel Stephens in Newport News was experimenting with problem- solving
and the two concepts got married in the minds of researchers.  You engage the community in a
way that helps you solve problems. The notion of police officers as change agents and catalysts
for solving neighborhood problems began to emerge.  It didn't gain a lot of acceptance initially
because it was perceived as soft on crime.  The idea kept resurfacing, however.

By the early '90s, law enforcement realized many problems with community policing were
definitional.  Nobody knew exactly what it meant.  To some it implied social work.  Others
thought it moved away from professionalism and wouldn't work.  When I asked chiefs what they
meant by community policing, I'd get a different answer each time. "I've got a foot patrol officer
in one of my high-crime districts." "We're doing some crime prevention work."  Until we got
beyond the hurdle of defining community policing, we couldn't convince practitioners that's what
they needed to do.

BJA believed  that if the largest professional organizations could get together, everybody might
eventually start reading off the same sheet of music.  The idea behind the Community Policing
Consortium was to establish some fundamental definitions.  We started with a theoretical model
that scared everybody, went to a prototype, and finally developed a framework that effectively
describes the umbrella concept.  Now we can plug in the technical assistance and training that
support the conceptual framework.  The Consortium will be operating on a much larger scale to
support our $150 million demonstration site commitment and  programs like Cops on the Beat,
slated to go from $1.3 billion in FY95 to $8.8 billion in FY2000.

Q.Changes in society, government, schools, military, churches, and other societal
 institutions have caused police leaders to search for better ways to deliver services.  How will
community policing affect other services? 
A.Fully implemented, jurisdictionalized community policing that has the support of
 political decision-makers, appropriators, chiefs, line supervisors and patrol officers will force
private and public service agencies to re-examine the way they deliver services.  Front-line
officers in immediate contact with problems become catalysts for improving and coordinating
service delivery.  Col. Potter, Portland's former police chief, said that once he implemented
community policing and showed some benefits to citizens and political decision-makers, his
appropriations started going up. Suddenly all the other service agencies started buying into the
concept. 

Q.The people in southern Hillsboro County give their new community policing program
 high ratings.  Despite this, there's still a problem with drug importation.  Is community policing
really a feasible way to curb crime?
A.Yes, I think it clearly is.  If drugs are identified as both a police and community problem,
community members can help pinpoint where problems occur so police can implement task
forces or whatever traditional methods are necessary.  As much as we think police know where
the problems are, it's not necessarily the case.  When community policing works effectively, the
community becomes this vast intelligence network.  They inform the police where the crack
houses are, who's bringing the drugs in.  This allows police to address the problem in an
efficient, timely way. 

Q.What are the most formidable obstacles   within and outside the police agency   to
implementing community policing?  
A.Internally, and politically, the biggest obstacle is that some still see community policing
 as soft on crime.  They don't understand that effective community policing actually promotes
more effective traditional policing.  Officers who join the police department because they view it
as a paramilitary organization resent any organizational changes.  Where departments try to
institute community policing as a separate program, participating officers are looked down on by
their peers   until problems get solved.  Effective community policing needs the buy-in of the
rank and file. And, you've got to train all organizational levels.  Mid-level managers tend to have
difficulty because they're relinquishing some control of officers.  Training, time, and success will
facilitate understanding. 

Externally, the community must understand it has to give up something to get results.  Call
dispatch is going to be modified.  Slower response time can make for attention-grabbing
newspaper headlines.  But, again, if you do it effectively, community members slowly buy into
it.  They say, "Okay, my house was burglarized, and it took 15 minutes rather than five for
somebody to get there.  But the immediate outcome was no different.  If I give up a little
response time to help police find out if there's been a series of neighborhood burglaries, that will
help the police catch the perpetrator.  Then we solve the problem."

You have to make community members understand that community policing takes time and their
active participation.  It's difficult for them to understand how it works until they see some results. 
Once they do, I think you get over the obstacles. 

Q.What is your long-term vision for community policing?
A.Because I'm so strongly committed to partnership and problem solving, I believe that
ultimately every jurisdiction in the country will have some form of community policing.  A
problem in one community is not necessarily a problem in another.  Effective responses also
differ, and the long-term goal is to achieve the appropriate diversity.  The prognosis is good. 
This administration is putting huge dollars behind its commitment and bringing in additional
officers required by statute to engage in community policing.

The longer we work at this, the more success stories we'll have.  And the better we can make
people understand that this is a more effective way to get services from the police.  I think there's
going to be a very broad acceptance of community policing.  We're building the critical mass;
everybody will be involved at some point.  It's going to achieve needed changes to the police
culture.  

Q.If you could say one thing to police chiefs and sheriffs who are considering community
 policing, what would it be?
A.Community policing has proved it can work in other jurisdictions.  If the police commit to it,
they will ultimately do their jobs much more effectively.  






Article Three-Community Profile
Community policing strategies can vary depending on the community in question.  Inner cities
and rural counties, for instance, may share some common crime problems, but they are set in an
entirely different environment, may be of entirely different magnitude, and could require
markedly different approaches.  This section of the Exchange attempts to describe communities
in the process of implementing community policing programs and how strategies are being
developed to address their particular problems.  Exchange editors welcome suggestions for
"Community Profile" stories.


Rural Wimauma Adopts Community Policing
To Reverse Mounting Crime Problem 

Community policing is a strategy that can work in small communities as well as large ones. Take
Wimauma, Florida, for instance. Wimauma, an unincorporated community in southern
Hillsborough County near Tampa, Florida, includes blacks, whites, and Hispanics among its few
thousand residents. Hillsborough County Deputy Sheriff J.D. Carlton has worked in Wimauma
for four years and is now its full-time community policing officer. Carlton, who initially
recognized and encouraged residents' willingness to help tackle burgeoning crime problems, was
among those assigned by the sheriff's office to develop an agency-wide community policing
program. The resulting Community Resource Deputy (CRD) program helps deputies solve long-
and short-term community problems. 

Armed with an understanding of resident concerns gained from attending community meetings,
Carlton began to address local problems, aided by the Eastern Hillsborough County Street
Crimes Unit, as well as patrol, traffic, and other specialized units. In the summer of 1993,
Wimauma became one of two sites in Hillsborough County and the nation's only rural area to
obtain a Bureau of Justice Assistance grant for a community policing substation. The concept
had strong backing from the community, the sheriff's office, the county commission, and other
county agencies. 

In February of 1994, a committee of concerned residents, county, school, and church officials
held its first meeting. Sheriff Cal Henderson and Major Larry Terry, BJA project coordinator and
district commander, personally thanked members for their participation. Sheriff Henderson,
Community Policing Coordinator Captain Gene Stokes, and Deputy Carlton explained
community policing's problem-solving approach and outlined the important role of residents.
Monthly meetings continue, and the group is putting together a community newsletter to keep all
residents apprised of its activities. 

In an effort to accurately identify community problems, the University of South Florida surveyed
Wimauma residents. The survey found that residents were most concerned about a lack of
adequate street lighting, drug-dealing, speeding vehicles, graffiti, abandoned/rundown property,
and gunfire in farm labor camps. 

Deputy Carlton subsequently worked with a gang unit on a "paint-out" project to eliminate
graffiti. The Street Crime Unit, tackling the drug problem, made a drug raid the night before the
substation opening. Young people were targeted for services that might in the long run help
prevent crime. For instance, former college football star Cornelius Bobo began working with the
Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department and teaches archery and other activities
to Wimauma youth while serving as a positive role model for his young admirers. 

When residents complained that county highway motorists habitually ignored school-zone speed
signs, Deputy Carlton talked to school officials, determined that the zones needed better
definition and helped county staff develop more effective signs. 

Assisting Deputy Carlton are civilian community service officers Gustavo Jimenez and Cheryl
Browen. Both are bilingual-an asset in an area more than 50 percent Hispanic. The two believe
the substation, which opened last summer, has had a positive impact on the community. They say
that residents are more forthcoming in reporting crimes and making complaints. They stop by the
station, open daily from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., to ask questions or visit. Patrol deputies use the station
increasingly to write reports, use phones, and meet with citizens. 

Many residents say they feel safer since the substation opening. They believe it allows deputies
to answer complaints in a more timely manner and discourages drug dealers and other criminals.
Deputies reinforce the impression of greater cooperation from the sheriff's office and increased
security by going door-to-door to talk with residents. 

Community policing has brought about unprecedented cooperation among residents, the
Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the Community Action and Planning Agency and the
Board of County Commissioners. All participated in last summer's Wimauma Public Forum,
which addressed such issues as crime, minority representation, segregated bussing, recreational
facilities, a bar opening, and a school suspension policy. Local media publicized the forum, and
the County Community Action and Planning Agency provided free transportation. 

Because Wimauma youths were intimidated by the sheriff's officers' uniforms and some families
interacted with deputies only when a relative was arrested, Deputy Carlton and Cornelius Bobo
helped put together a Family Fun Day, aimed at generating community harmony. Softball and
volleyball games and a tug-of-war between sheriff's deputies and residents helped build bridges
of communication and trust that should serve the community well.

Celia Post, director of the Wimauma Child Care Development Center, sees many positive
changes since the CRD program was established. "Officer Carlton has done a wonderful job
engaging our youth in useful community projects and making Wimauma more secure."


Other Indications of the Success of Wimauma's Team Approach

The Hillsborough County Parks and Recreation Department hosted consortium meetings during
substation construction and is making park facilities available for programs and gatherings.

The Community Action and Planning Agency helps present crime prevention programs. 
Code Enforcement helps address housing code violations and related problems.

The Good Samaritan and Beth-El Missions provide clothing, emergency shelter, and legal
services for local migrant workers.

Local newspapers and TV stations cover substation activities and other newsworthycommunity
policing programs. 


The Hillsborough County Administration and County Commission actively support Wimauma's
community policing efforts. 





Article Four-Community Partnerships
A successful community policing strategy includes the development of partnerships between the
police and various community institutions and civic leaders.  Exchange will carry columns
describing such partnerships and their effect on crime control and public safety.  Editors
welcome story ideas for "Community Partnerships."

Taking It To The Streets
Success Story in Hayward, California 
Helps Residents Curb Drug Trafficking

Hayward, Calif.
Before July of 1991 when the Hayward (CA) Police Department began its community policing
program, there were few calls for service in the South Garden area the city had annexed the
previous year.  As officers began community policing efforts in the neighborhood, we learned of
the significant drug problem at a local shopping center. Much of the property, which included a
liquor store and Laundromat,  was run down. Nearby residents felt trapped in their own homes,
afraid to walk outside.  Calls for service skyrocketed as the new program got underway and trust
between the officers and community grew.

Officers George Torres and Mayse Taylor led the South Garden Project, organizing regular
meetings and encouraging community members to express their concerns.  They also involved
other officers in assisting with narcotics enforcement and other neighborhood clean-up and
improvement efforts.  Budding partnerships with the community were reinforced when officers
showed up on their days off to help paint out graffiti in the neighborhood.

Several months into the project, area citizens joined forces with the police to publicly express
their opposition to local drug activity.  Formation of a citizen patrol for South Garden was
discussed at a meeting attended by about 25 concerned apartment managers, property owners,
and business people.  We explained that citizens would not be expected to patrol without an
officer present or to take enforcement actions.  They were to accompany the police, functioning
as extra eyes and ears, and make drug-dealing in the area as difficult and uncomfortable as
possible.

The meeting culminated in a march to protest drugs.  Taking place at the same time as the South
Garden citizens meeting was a city-wide Neighborhood Alert meeting. When  these attendees 
learned of the proposed march, they offered to participate.  The protest began at the liquor store. 
Neighbors cheered and applauded the 40 marchers as they moved through the streets chanting, 
No More Drugs.   Residents began to join in, and the number of participants grew to about 75.
The event was so successful that Officers Taylor and Torres organized three additional marches,
one of which included 250 citizens who carried homemade banners and signs.  It became obvious
that the community was united in its determination to take the neighborhood back from the drug
dealers.

The successful citizen patrols continued for about six months until the problems decreased to the
point that the patrols were felt unnecessary.  Residents still hold marches periodically to
reinforce their stance against drugs in their community.  While some problems persist and new
concerns occasionally arise, South Gardens is a much different neighborhood than it was several
years ago.  Neighborhood leaders are currently organized and ready to deal with new problems. 
It was extremely gratifying to hear a resident say that the area had improved so much that she
was no longer afraid to take her young children for a walk. Community policing has ultimately
proved to be an extremely effective means of addressing problems in this neighborhood.

By Lieutenant Dennis Houghtelling

For more information, contact Lieutenant Dennis Houghtelling, Hayward Police Department, 
300 W. Winton Ave., Hayward, CA 94544-1137. Phone: (510) 294-7056.





Article Five
Community Policing on Wheels

Austin, Texas
The Austin Police Department has a secret weapon--Mobocop, a 38-foot-long, 8-foot- wide
mobile substation that travels up to 60 miles per hour and costs $100,000. Mobocop is
community policing on wheels.  It's designed to be a positive, visible presence in distressed
neighborhoods and help residents identify and solve crime-related and quality of life problems.

Serving as Mobocop's primary staff are Senior Police Officer Bruce Thompson, City Services
Coordinator Lolita Slagle and Victim Services Counselor Mary Lieberman. "Anything you could
do in an office, we can do here," Senior Police Officer Bruce Thompson said.  He emphasizes
that although this is indeed a division of the police department, it is really a joint effort between
the Austin P.D. and all other city departments.

Mary Lieberman joined the Mobocop team from the city's victim Services Division.  She is
trying to lower the chances of people becoming victims of violent crimes.  Community education
she believes, is crucial to this effort.  "I am trying to get away from this crisis intervention and
get more into prevention," Lieberman says.

Lolita Slagle's job is to put neighborhood residents who have identified community problems in
touch with the appropriate city department.  Officer Thompson says, "People call 911 for
everything--to fix potholes, to fix street lights."  With Lolita here, the number of calls to 911 are
reduced.  Slagle, along with the rest of the staff, works to educate communities about how to
make government agencies work for them and reminds them that they don't need to accept what
may seem like intractable problems as the facts of life.

The Mobocop staff also includes patrol officers from a targeted neighborhood.  Mobocop
personnel have foot, bicycle and mounted patrols working with them in each targeted area. 
Patrol officer Melissa McGrath says that the mobile substation has a positive influence on her
beat.  McGrath says that, thanks to Mobocop, she knows "not only the bad guys, but the good
guys of the community, too."  With the substation in the area, the people of the community see
that the "police are not doing something to them, they are doing something for them," McGrath
said.  

The mobile substation stays for a minimum of one month in each targeted neighborhood.  Much
ground work takes place, however, before Mobocop settles into a new territory.  The Mobocop
team searches police crime reports to isolate problems in a targeted area.  Once the team has this
information they sweep the area, going door to door to meet the residents.  That serves a couple
of purposes.  First, it provides residents with an opportunity to express concerns, and, second, it
allows resident surveys to be distributed.  Only after the information has been collected and
assessed, a plan is developed.  Officers may find that what crime reports indicate to be an area's
primary problem differs from what residents perceive to be their biggest problem.

Officer Thompson says that the purpose of this program is to "go into a community and help it
become self-reliant and build self-esteem."  Mobocop stays until community-driven solutions to
problems have taken root.  "We don't want to go in and just put a band-aid on the problem,"
Thompson said.  "We want to leave knowing that what we started will continue working when
we are gone."

"We want to be more community oriented and be there for the community and citizens," says
Thompson.  "Achieving peace and harmony is our main goal."

By Vanessa Slagle, student, University of Texas at Austin

For more information, contact Ann Taylor, Austin Police Department, 715 E. Eighth St., Austin,
TX 78701-3397. Phone:(512) 480-5000.





Article Six-Community Solutions
Problem solving is one of the chief components of community policing.  Policing in the last
several decades has been response driven.  Community policing's approach encourages officers
to cooperate with citizens to identify and solve problems in the community.  This section of
Exchange  features community policing programs that exemplify the problem-solving approach. 
Editors encourage those who know of such programs to contact Exchange and provide
documentation.

Getting the Bad Guys and Improving the Neighborhood

Hayward, Calif.
My department, in Hayward, California was in the infant stages of our evolution toward a
community policing.  I was quite skeptical about this approach, but desperate, since measures I
was employing were not successful.  The department was in the process of actively opening its
doors to the community and sharing our new problem solving philosophy.  Many citizens
expressed interest and were eager to share their knowledge and opinions.  I was truly amazed at
the amount of information I was able to gather from these enthusiastic citizens.  

My lieutenant approached me with a plan to begin addressing the problems in the distressed
South Hayward neighborhood.  A four-officer team was charged with identifying problems in the
neighborhood, prioritizing them, and then developing a plan to eradicate them.  
Our team surveillance discovered that there were literally dozens of crack cocaine dealers
operating in front of two four-plexes.  People in seven of these eight apartments were found to be
directly involved in drug-dealing operations.  We decided to advise the property owner.

I obtained a property file from a realtor with an interest in the community and  learned that the
owner had just completed a scam of his own.  He convinced two retired women to invest over
$30,000 each in his apartments. The owner then fled the state with a lien of more than $51,000
remaining on the property.  I met with the two ladies and apprised them of their grim situation. 
They looked to the police for guidance and help.  We lacked expertise in this area, so I reached
out to our citizenry for assistance.

This help came to us by way of the Rental Housing Owners Association (RHO) of the Greater
East Bay, a private organization designed to keep property owners up to date on landlord-tenant
issues.  In the interest of serving the community, RHO immediately responded by 
by providing information and eviction forms free of charge.  Tom Silva, the president, offered his
expertise and acted as an agent for the women.  Our team provided security while Mr. Silva
served eviction notices on seven tenants based on their involvement with drugs.

My next step was to notify the City Building Inspection Department of the poor condition of the
property.  This resulted in a swift inspection which revealed numerous health and safety
violations.  The building inspector gave the property owner 30 days to rectify the violations or
face condemnation of the buildings.  

With the police department, other city departments, and community members effectively
applying pressure from different angles, the tenants became anxious and three vacated
immediately.  My team and a crew of city workers boarded up these vacated apartments with the
permission and assistance of the owners.  The remaining tenants responded to the eviction
notices with the assistance of County Legal Aide and forced the eviction process into court. The
judge ordered that they be removed from the premises. A building inspector was sent out and
posted the property uninhabitable.  I had a work crew standing by, and they immediately boarded
up the building.

The project began on September 25, and we gained control on March 20, six months later.  Since
then the properties have been sold to a church group active in the neighborhood.  The group
applied for and received low-interest loans and will use the money to bring the buildings back up
to code. The renovated properties are targeted to provide low-income housing for senior citizens.

In the end, many people and various agencies put forth effort to achieve a successful outcome,
and, despite my first impressions about community policing, I now realize effectiveness in law
enforcement can only be enhanced through partnerships with our communities.

By Officer Bernie Licata

For more information, contact Officer Bernie Licata, Hayward Police Department, 300 W.
Winton Ave., Hayward, CA 94544-1137. Phone: (510) 293-7000.  Fax: (510) 293-7183.






Article Seven
Greenville County Sheriff's Office Reorganizes

Greenville County, S.C.
The Greenville County, S.C., Sheriff's Office has decentralized to provide law enforcement
services through a North, South, and Central command structure.  "Greenville County is
growing," said Sheriff Johnny Mack Brown.  "We have to plan for the 21st century, and this is
the next logical step for our community policing program."  With 294 deputies, the 

Sheriff provides full law enforcement services to about 220,000 of the country's 328,000
residents.
The restructuring took effect in September.  Most law enforcement services are now provided
through the North and South area commands.  This includes uniformed patrol, burglary and
robbery investigations, traffic enforcement, and street level drug enforcement.  Services that
remain centralized include court security, prisoner transportation, criminal and civil processes,
and some specialized investigations, such as homicide and sex crimes.

The new North and South command areas are each subdivided into two districts, headed by a
lieutenant.  "The four district lieutenants will be the key people in developing this concept," said
Brown.  "They are responsible for identifying problems in their areas and working with residents
to develop strategies and solutions."

Under the former system, Uniform Patrol supervisors were responsible for the entire county
during their eight-hour duty shifts.  The new command structure makes supervisors responsible
for specific geographic areas so that they can get to know the people, learn more about
community problems, and focus attention where needed.  Since patrol deputies and most
investigators were already assigned to areas, restructuring was primarily a management change.

The Sheriff hopes the end results of the reorganization will be more teamwork and improved
information exchange among deputies, investigators, supervisors, and residents in each district. 
That would translate into higher quality investigations and a tighter focus on community
problems.

The Sheriff's Office first began Community Policing in 1989 and started getting good results
within months.  The worst neighborhoods were the first to be targeted, and dramatic
improvements were produced.  "By getting the residents involved and working together, we were
able to reclaim areas where whole neighborhoods had been taken over by drug dealers," says
Brown.

Community policing has proven its value, states Brown, who believes it holds the key to the
future of law enforcement in America.  "We've seen it work," he says.  "The challenge now is to
find ways to make it work even better."

By Lieutenant Samuel C. Simmons

For more information, contact Lieutenant Samuel C. Simmons, 4 McGee St., Greenville, SC
29601-2297.  Phone: (803) 467-5280.  Fax: (803) 467-5299.





New Publication Provides Overview of Community Policing

A just-published monograph, Understanding Community Policing:  A Framework for Action, is
available at no cost to interested law enforcement practitioners and community leaders.  The
70-page Framework, published by the Community Policing Consortium, combines an
introduction to community policing with practical implementation suggestions useful to both
novices and those with more experience in community policing.  It briefly describes how
community policing came about, sets forth the core components of community policing, and
discusses basic implementation issues.

The Framework is the first in a series of planned monographs on community policing.  To order
your copy of Understanding Community Policing:  A Framework for Action, write or call the
Community Policing Consortium at 1726 M St. NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036. Phone:
(202) 833-3305.