An examination of implementing change in a police precinct by putting sub-precincts within the community.
This paper discusses the trend of community policing in the United States. It explains several options of community policing and states that the most dramatic change to implement is the opening of sub-precincts within a community. The paper examines the obstacles involved in implementing such a change and possible solutions for these problems.
“Today over 90% of police departments in the United States have received federal assistance to put community police program in place. These programs vary widely and may range from neighborhood watch programs to increased street patrols to placing sub-precinct stations in the heart of communities (Klinenberg, 2001). Organizing neighborhood watches or increasing foot patrols are relatively low-level changes, but when a police department makes the move to put sub-precinct police stations within the community, this represents a major organizational change within the police department.”