          Reflections on Community-Oriented Policing 

                             By 
                       Robert Bobinsky
 
On the east side of Bensenville, Illinois, sits an island 
community made up of over 250 single-family residences and a 
complex containing more than 200 closely spaced townhouses. This 
"community within a community" is separated from the mainstream 
of the village by more than the railroad tracks and international 
airport that border it on three sides. 

A psychological barrier also exists that isolates the residents 
of this community from those of the village at large. Much of the 
gang activity  in the village is centered in the townhouse 
complex. Other problems stem from the fact that a  majority of 
the residents in the complex are recent or illegal immigrants, of 
either Hispanic or East Indian origin. Most harbor fears and 
distrust toward law enforcement, held over from experiences in 
their native countries. The language barrier between these 
residents and employees of the village's public service agencies 
also led to a lack of under-standing regarding the problems in 
the area. Over the years, this lack of communication and coopera-  
tion gave way to an overall deterioration in the physical state 
of the neighborhood. 

In March 1991, several residents concerned with the declining 
condition of the area enlisted the cooperation of the police 
chief and the department's DARE officer to establish a 
Neighborhood Watch. The first sparsely attended meetings of this 
group produced small, but important, results. Police response 
times to the area improved, as did the sense of cooperation 
between other village agencies and the residents of the area. 
Then, in October 1991, an incident occurred that  proved to be a 
catalyst for far greater change. A 15-year-old resident with ties 
to gang activity was shot and killed while standing in front of 
his home. At the next Neighborhood Watch meeting, over 300 
residents and several village officials agreed that the quality 
of services for the area-policing among them-required immediate 
reform. 

The police department responded by forming a two-officer 
undercover tactical team, which focused its efforts on disrupting 
gang and criminal activity in the island community. Then, the 
chief of police approached me with another idea for improving the 
quality of life in the troubled area. The chief's proposal called 
for implementing an aggressive Community-oriented Policing (COP) 
Program in the townhouse complex. It would be an experiment that 
could lead to profound changes in the residents' attitudes toward 
the police. 

Not fully understanding the principles of community-oriented 
policing, I initially declined my chief's offer to participate in 
Bensenville's COP program. My instincts told me that the approach 
was too much like social work and would no longer involve any 
real police work. Not one to take "no" for an answer, the chief 
convinced me to read several articles and pamphlets about 
community-oriented policing before refusing the position 
outright. This brief investment of time helped me to put the somewhat 
abstract concept of community policing into a practical 
perspective. 

The more I read, the more I came to realize that 
community-oriented policing represents the approach law 
enforcement must take in order to meet the changing needs of 
communities. This policing concept also completely changed the 
way I viewed the role of law enforcement in society.  

Traditional Policing 

Historically, local law enforcement in the 1930s and 1940s was 
characterized by the "beat cop," who knew every resident and 
business owner in an assigned area. Likewise, this officer became 
aware almost immediately when a crime occurred and generally 
found out quickly from members of the community who committed it. 
This timely apportionment of justice helped to create a strong 
bond between members of the community and the officers who 
patrolled their districts. 

However, this policing model harbored significant drawbacks. 
Officers often gained appointments through corrupt political 
deals, were poorly trained, and rarely displayed a professional 
appearance or demeanor. 

As a result, the 1960s and 1970s saw the dawn of the 
"professional policing model." These new officers used the most 
up-to-date technology-such as high-speed cruisers, forensic 
laboratories, mobile radios, and 911 emergency systems-to serve 
the sprawling suburban environment that came to characterize much 
of the American landscape. Considering the vast areas covered by 
a limited number of officers, response times were exceptionally 
quick. Such areas as recruiting practices, training, and 
professionalism were vastly improved. 

But the professional policing model possessed its own inherent 
shortcomings. Officers became less a part of the communities they 
served. In fact, they were intentionally placed "outside" of the 
community as a reaction to the potential for corruption that 
existed in prior policing models. And, even though response times 
were exceptional, calls for police service still brought officers 
to the scene after a crime had been committed. This 
"incident-oriented" policing model placed an impressive array of 
resources at officers' disposal to locate offenders, but made 
little attempt to reduce actual crime numbers. 

Bringing Policing Back to the Community 

Community-oriented policing combines the familiarity, trust, and 
sense of ownership characterized by the "beat cop" with the 
professionalism and expertise of the professional policing model. 
Officers working in this mode conduct their patrols from a 
problem-oriented, rather than incident-oriented, perspective. 
Accordingly, the focus becomes preventive-rather than 
reactive-police work. 

Officers involved in community-oriented policing have access to 
residents on a personal level, which helps to build a better 
relationship between the community and the police department. 
Residents see the police as more than just anonymous blue suits 
driving down the street in patrol cars. The community is more 
involved with the officers, and in turn, becomes the eyes and 
ears of the department in the neighborhood.   

Overcoming Obstacles 

Officers involved in community-oriented policing programs need to 
foster a good working relationship with other municipal agencies. 
Cooperation is essential, not only in the planning and 
implementation stages but also in the daily operation of any 
satellite office. In addition, because these municipal officials 
possess experience in securing funds, hiring new employees, and 
managing personnel, they can be a valuable resource when 
expanding a program. When it comes to a community-oriented 
approach, having the municipality's management on your side can 
mean the difference between an initiative just getting by and 
truly succeeding. 

Still, incorporating community-oriented policing into the daily 
operations of the police department may breed some problems from 
different quarters. As I had expected, the expenditure of village 
funds into an area historically separated from the rest of the 
community raised some eyebrows. Often, I found myself having to 
respond to the question, "Why is our money going to that area?" 
Fortunately, there were many answers to that question. Residents 
who asked it needed to be reminded that if one area of town is 
allowed to become a "slum," the entire village is adversely 
affected. Gangs would eventually break out of their "home turf" 
and infest other residential and business areas. By allowing one 
area to deteriorate, cycles of poverty and crime intensify, 
creating a situation even more difficult to address in the 
future. 

In contrast, reduced crime rates in the target area allow the 
police department to devote more resources to other parts of the 
community. In addition, by raising the standards of the townhouse 
complex, property values increase, yielding additional tax 
revenues for the village. 

While I expected a degree of community skepticism regarding the 
ambitious program, the negative sentiments expressed by some of 
my fellow officers represented a more formidable obstacle. These 
comments, whether directed to one another or to local residents, 
were difficult to deal with, both on a personal and professional 
level. Still, many officers expressed great interest in the 
program, and through education and encouragement to participate, 
the few that publicly voiced their doubts eventually assisted in 
the overall success of the effort. 

A Different Beat 

The Police-Neighborhood Resource Center (PNRC) serves as the 
centerpiece of the COP program in Bensenville. Using Federal, 
State, and county grants, as well as local tax revenues, the 
village purchased a townhouse in the target area and renovated it 
into a satellite police and village office. 

I now work at the Police-Neighborhood Resource Center. However, 
my job description has not changed-I am still a uniformed police 
officer. My beat is much smaller than other officers in the 
patrol division, which has its distinct advantages. 
For example, I now know many of the residents on a personal 
level. More importantly, the relationship between the police 
department and the neighborhood has greatly improved. In addition 
to reporting known and suspected criminal activity to me, the residents 
also seek my assistance when dealing with other village 
agencies. Often, residents stop me in the street as I walk by 
their homes and ask who they can call to resolve specific 
problems. Partly as a result, sanitation conditions and problems 
associated with overcrowding have shown signs of improvement. 
Additionally, in the course of my duties, I have returned lost 
children to their homes, solved parking problems, and assist-ed 
other officers during emergency calls. 

Despite my intolerance toward gangs in general, local gang 
members display a grudging respect for me and my position. They 
appreciate that I treat each person on an individual basis and do 
not view them merely as gang members. They also realize that I 
have a job to do, and that if I treat them with respect, I demand 
the same treatment in return. I am rarely disappointed. 
For example, during my first week at the PNRC, several gang 
members advised me that a member of a rival gang had driven into   
the area in a car he claimed to have stolen. The gang members 
brought me directly to the vehicle, and a subsequent computer 
check revealed that the car had indeed been reported stolen only 
12 hours earlier. With information given to me by these gang 
members, I recovered a stolen automobile and arrested the      
offender. 

In fact, after just a few months of working in the PNRC, I 
observed a distinct swing in the attitude of the gang members. 
Many actually stop by my office, either to just sit and talk or, 
more often, to relate information regarding suspicious or illegal 
activity in and around the village. Recently, on two separate 
occasions, members of rival gangs damaged a truck belonging to a 
local gang member. Instead of retaliating, the victim called the 
police station and requested that I take the report. In both 
cases, the offenders were identified and arrested. Through such 
incidents, the gang members have come to realize that I am a 
police officer who they can trust to take any criminal act 
seriously, no matter who the victim is. 

Additional Benefits 

Aside from enhancing the relationship between the police 
department and area residents, the community-oriented approach 
produced additional benefits. Because of the assistance I try to 
provide to tenants, I now have a better line of communication 
with village and county officials. If residents advise me of an 
inordinate number of people living in a townhome, for example, I 
can contact the village zoning officer, who will immediately make 
inspections of the house for safety, fire, and ordinance 
violations. Slowly, the combined efforts of several government 
agencies are driving criminal slumlords-who once preyed on 
low-income residents-from the area. 

From the outset, various village agencies coordinated their 
efforts to ensure the most efficient use of resources. The 
Director of Community Services persuaded the different village 
taxing entities to cooperate in making revenues available. She 
also coordinated an effort to provide public library programs and 
job placement services at the PNRC. In addition, the school 
district established an after-school tutoring program at the 
site.  The Police-Neighborhood Resource Center is also being used for 
more programs than originally anticipated. The Neighborhood Watch 
uses the center for its meetings, as do two local Girl Scout 
troops. A local community college offers an 
"English-as-a-Second-Language" course at the center, and the 
local public library created a satellite library at the site, 
using its own grants to purchase books. 

Preliminary Results 

Despite the visible signs of improvement in the island community, 
I found myself disappointed by the initial statistical results. A 
comparison of the rate of calls for police service showed a 
dramatic increase during the first 2 months of the PNRC's 
operation. However, at face value, these figures proved somewhat 
deceptive. The rate of crime did not increase, only the rate of 
calls to the police for service. Rather than indicating a 
worsening situation, the initial rise in the number of calls 
revealed a new willingness on the part of residents to trust the 
police. 

In subsequent months, the rate of calls showed a steady decline. 
More importantly, the rate of criminal activity also fell. When 
compared to 1991 figures, totals for 1992 revealed an overall 
lower rate of calls for service and crime throughout the target 
area. 

This reinforces the need for departments to make long-term 
commitments to community-oriented policing. During the early 
stages, calls for police service may indeed increase. However, 
administrators should not view this as a negative outcome. 
Increased calls for service generally reveal positive changes in 
the mindset of area residents. 

Other COP Programs 

From my experiences with Bensenville's Community-oriented 
Policing Program, I have become familiar with some of the COP 
initiatives being employed in other police departments throughout 
the Nation. Though they share similarities, none are-or should 
be-identical. Likewise, when adopting a COP program, each police 
department should look at the local needs of each neighborhood or 
target community. Not every situation is alike, and there is 
virtually an infinite number of programs from which to choose. 
For example, in Elgin, Illinois, the Resident Officer Program of 
Elgin (ROPE) actually houses police officers and their families 
in target areas. Officers in this program conduct their police 
business from a satellite office. 

Aurora, Illinois, employs a mobile police trailer that can be 
moved from community to community, staying until the target areas 
have been improved. Officers can also position the trailer in the 
middle of a street to act as a checkpoint for vehicles and 
individuals entering or leaving an area. 

This diversity of programs underscores one of the strengths of 
community-oriented policing. Departments can tailor programs to 
meet the unique needs of communities. And, because officers 
assume more personal responsibility for the areas they patrol, 
their input adds imaginative details to the programs. 

Conclusion  

Like many officers, I approached community policing very 
cautiously-even skeptically. I did not wish to surrender my role 
as a law enforcement officer only to become a "social worker with 
a badge." However, my experiences with the Police-Neighborhood 
Resource Center changed my previously held perception. 
Community-oriented policing does not transform police officers 
into social workers. It does, however, empower officers to 
connect individuals with problems to agencies that can help them. 
COP does involve a few extra minutes handling each call, but this 
is time well-spent. Most importantly, community-oriented policing 
recognizes the value of the police and the community working 
together to reduce crime. A more involved community translates 
into a community more willing to cooperate with its police 
department. In the words of my chief, such a relationship is a 
"win-win situation." 
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