It's absolutely frightening in some neighborhoods to think about what community policing might really mean. Because for me it does mean direct citizen action. And it means a banding together of the disparate and different forces in the neighborhood and the community, all of whom are aligned under a desire for safety and civility and sanity on the streets. I don't care if you are from the far left or the christian right, or any other philosophical orientation, what matters to me is do you reject violence as a way of life. If you do, let's find a way to work together.
Leaders have to be living emblems of what they represent, what they stand for, what they believe in.
I have to believe the same thing about beat cops and detectives, sergeants and captains, and people in the community. If we can create situations in which we can share our visions and not be embarrassed or ashamed of them, and raise expectations in that process, we damn well better get about that business. Precinct Advisory Councils are heavily weighted with department-selected people. There is also concern about the composition of Crime Prevention Councils. Change the composition, not by subtracting, but through addition.