Community policing has been critical in helping foster a more harmonious and beneficial relationship between police force and local communities. This improved relationship between the police and local communities has helped to improve safety by reducing crime and terrorism. Local communities play an integral part in the fight against terrorism. The community must be vigilant and remain on the lookout for suspicious activities and report them to local law enforcement for swift action. This documentation will explore community policing and demonstrate how it can be used in the fight against terrorism.
Community policing has been described and executed in different ways over time in various context, mainly because it is a policing philosophy that is designed to the dynamic needs of local communities. Community policing was established in the 1980s from the Kelling and Wilson’s broken windows theory that argued that crime thrives in areas where it is ignored (Cossyleon, 2019). Community policing encourages organizational approaches which support the methodical use of problem-solving and partnership techniques to actively deal with the direct situations that create to public safety issues that comprise fear of crime, social disorder, and crime (Community Oriented Policing Services, 2014). Community policing focuses on three critical areas, and they include organizational transformation, community collaboration, and problem-solving.
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Community policing is significant because it can be used to address some critical problem that ethnic and racial groups of the community face. Minorities within the society, particularly Blacks and Hispanics, have experienced discrimination by law enforcement organs. Some of the problems they encounter include racial animus (negative attitude from law enforcement), racially-biased behavior (racial profiling), and racial disparity (objective variations that occur in real life) (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2018). However, law enforcement agencies can use the three pillars of community policing to address these problems and foster an environment that allows for collaboration within the society.
Community policing can help law enforcement deal with security issues such as identifying terrorist targets and actors. Law enforcement must develop and maintain trusting relationships with the community; this is essential to preventing targeted violence, terrorism, and crime (Straub, 2020). Law enforcement must ensure that they involve the community in the fight against terrorism by encouraging them to be vigilant and to report suspicious behavior. Also, law enforcement must identify concerns, issues, and challenges that develop at the community level by collecting real-time data. Subsequently, they can use this information to engage local the community to create and execute strategies and policies to prevent terrorism. This strategy has proved to be effective in Boston where the CMVRS collaborated with Boston PD and the United Somali Youth to develop the Young and Police Initiative Plus program that was created to fight radicalization of Somali youth in the area (Straub, 2020). Another critical strategy is employing the whole community approach where law enforcement partners with NGOs, local businesses, community organizations, emergency managers, EMS, health officials, fire departments, faith leaders, and the public in prevention, response, and recovery planning of terrorist threats.
Police leaders and civil rights heads recommend that police officers at all levels receive comprehensive training on implicit bias, diversity, and cultural competency. Training will equip law enforcement with the necessary competencies that will enable them to deal with people from different races and different cultural norms ( Community Relations Services Toolkit for Policing, n.d. ).Efforts should focus on offering in-service training and recruit training on cultural receptiveness and implicit bias. This will help improve the relationship between police and the community. Fostering a strong relationship between law enforcement and local communities will encourage the public to take part in community policing.
Law enforcement must create an environment that calls for joint effort where the public remains vigilant and report suspicious activities to law enforcement organs. Additionally, law enforcement should encourage unity that is built on intelligence sharing and organization among critical partners in the intelligence communities and police ( International Association of Chiefs of Police, United States of America, FEMA, US Department of Homeland Security, & United States of America, 2012 ). This information can be used as a valuable tool against terrorism. It is important to create a direct line of communication between the public and senior staff in law enforcement to help foster improved relations. Junior staff can assess issues presented by the public and offer a direct line of communication to senior staff in the department on issues they deem to be important.
The community and law enforcement can partner to reduce the threat of lone-wolf terrorists. One approach to attain this goal is creating a community partnership strategy that will counter violent extremism. This approach has been applied in Boston where CMVRS collaborated with Boston PD and the United Somali Youth to set up the Young and Police Initiative Plus program that was aimed at the fighting radicalization of Somali youth in the region (Straub, 2020). Also, law enforcement and the community can collaborate through community policing in order to address online radicalization to violence (Sutherland, 2013). This strategy will address online terrorist recruiting and educate the community about internet safety.
Community policing is vital in our society. Law enforcement agencies and local communities must partner to together in order to ensure the security of their neighborhoods. Community policing has also proved to be a useful tool in the fight against terrorism. Unity between the police and the community is critical in ensuring peace and safety within society. As such, law enforcement organs must ensure they strengthen community policing to ensure a better relationship with the community.
References
Community Oriented Policing Services. (2014). Community Policing Defined . U.S. Department of Justice, https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-p157-pub.pdf
Community Relations Services Toolkit for Policing. (n.d.). Importance of Police-Community Relationships and Resources for Further Reading.
Cossyleon, J., E. (2019). Community Policing . Loyola University Chicago, USA
International Association of Chiefs of Police, United States of America, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), US Department of Homeland Security, & United States of America. (2012). Resource Guide to Improve Your Community's Awareness and Reporting of Suspicious Activity: For Law Enforcement and Community Partners .
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2018). Proactive policing: Effects on Crime and Communities . National Academies Press.
Straub, F. (2020). Notes from the Field: The Importance of Community Policing in Preventing Terrorism. National Institute of Justice, https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/notes-field-importance-community-policing-preventing-terrorism
Sutherland, D. (2013). Using Principles of Community Policing to Address Online Radicalization to Violence.
