Community Policing: Where are We Now?

Data from a national survey of police departments are presented to explore the progression of American policing from a traditional orientation to a community policing model. Despite widespread support for the idea of community policing and its service-centered orientation, the authors' findings suggest that crime control remains the primary mission of most police agencies. We infer from these data that the demonstrable transition of police agencies from a professional model to a community policing one typically is moving at an evolutionary pace rather than a revolutionary one in most places.