A quiet evolution: integrating community policing into police field training

Abstract

Two forms of police training, academy training and field training, have proven to be critical components in the development of police officers and the legitimization of the policing profession. Additionally, community policing has changed the way law enforcement practitioners are doing their jobs and has been vital in mending relationships between the police and communities. Adverse police incidents, often involving racial minorities, have strained police-community relations for decades, even recently. Community policing could be one way for the police and the communities they serve to improve their relationships. This paper, therefore, examines the efforts of one police agency to intentionally integrate community policing into field training to improve police service, community relations, and officers’ ability to acquire and practice effective community policing skills. Results showed most officers in the department agreed with community policing principles, but officers who specialized in community policing had a more positive opinion in general.