Although there are some concerns that community policing is another expression of the watchman style, community policing as a service style implies more openness and individualism. Officers and citizens should know each other on a first-name basis. It does not mean that police service is personalized or tailored to provide better service to one area than another. The issue of equity is addressed on the basis on need, not by extrajudicial considerations. Serious crime, of course, must be enforced uniformly, but police must also be cognizant of neighborhood variation when policing minor infractions.
Chief executives are also accustomed to policy from the top-down.
Bicycle and foot patrol are also hallmarks of community policing when it comes to breaking down the isolation of central headquarters, patrol cars, and dependence on radio contact. Self-esteem, responsibility, and maturity levels are expected to increase as community policing helps people become more active at taking charge of their life. Crime is a product of social conditions and cannot be eliminated entirely through police actions. Each neighborhood must have a strong infrastructure. Police departments have traditionally been reactive rather than proactive.