Community Policing in a Rural Setting

Quint Thurman, Edmund F. McGarrell

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781317523925
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Jura
• Subtopic: Strafrecht

The authors provide stepping stones for rural and small-town agencies to make the organizational changes needed for community policing to take hold. The book introduces the concept of community policing and its many benefits to the agencies and communities that adopt it. Important issues discussed include the challenge of organizational change, as well as examples of community policing obstacles and successes, and the future of community policing in the 21st century.

Section II
Organizational Change and Community Policing

5
Assessing the Need for Organizational Change in Rural American Police Agencies

Andrew L. Giacomazzi
Boise State University

Introduction

By the end of the twentieth century, neighborhood residents across the United States were joining forces with the police in collaborative partnerships to solve problems related to crime, disorder, and fear. Communities were seeing improvements in the quality of neighborhood life and in satisfaction toward the police in cities, towns, and counties that had implemented a community-based model of policing. For example, success stories had occurred in some of America's largest cities (Chicago Community Policing Evaluation Consortium, 1997), medium-sized cities (Reisig & Parks, 2000) and in rural America (Giacomazzi, Helms & Brody, 2000).

While the community policing literature teems with outcome-based studies concerning the effects of community policing, there is much less published research focused on the organizational change process as a key ingredient leading to the ultimate success of community policing initiatives (Zhao, Thurman & Lovrich, 1995; Glensor & Peak, 1996). Here the organizational change literature suggests that for community policing to be successfully implemented and completely institutionalized, progress is needed inside law enforcement agencies in addition to the successes they achieve outside in the community.

This chapter highlights an innovative approach to promoting organizational change in policing that has worked for rural agencies in the western United States: the use of organizational and community assessments. This approach, which was developed by the Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety (WRICOPS), provides law enforcement agencies with a way to objectively assess their organizational and external environment as they prepare themselves for change from a traditional to a community policing model.

Key Issues

The growing body of research in the area of organizational change to a community policing model suggests that change is not a simple process (Zhao, Thurman & Lovrich, 1995; Glensor & Peak, 1996). These studies also suggest that the switch to community policing is affected by conditions both inside and outside the organization. For example, Zhao, Thurman, and Lovrich (1995) found that police officer training in the areas of ethics, police-community relations, and community policing principles were important developments necessary for the successful transition to a community policing model. And Peak and Glensor (1996) found that in addition to internal changes in management and leadership, community partnerships and problem solving were important as well if change was to occur inside the organization.

Many of these and other internal and external changes necessary for the success of community policing can be understood in terms of Jones's (1981) notion of an "organizational universe," a concept that drives the organizational and community assessment process pioneered by WRICOPS. This universe encompasses the organization and the relationships it generates both inside and outside the agency. According to this perspective, an organization is most effective when there is a close fit between five dimensions of the organizational universe. These five dimensions include: (1) organizational values, (2) organizational goals, (3) structure, (4) climate, and (5) community environment (Jones, 1981; WRICOPS, 1998).

Organizational Values and Organizational Goals

Organizational values typically associated with community policing include problem solving, community partnerships, and an emphasis on customer service. Organizational goals, on the other hand, result from the articulation of a department's values. Goals describe what outcomes a department wants to achieve (WRICOPS, 1998).

One of the basic elements of the organizational change process is strategic planning, an ongoing process by which organizations develop values and a mission, ultimately framing organizational goals, objectives, and operational strategies reflective of a community policing philosophy (Denhardt, 1995). A good fit between organizational values and goals is crucial for the strategic planning process.

Strategic planning necessarily involves all organizational employees (as well as other key stakeholders) in the process of planning organizational goals, objectives, and action plans. In addition, strategic planning typically attempts to predict how the work environment will change over a five- to ten-year period. Many departments across the United States that have adopted the community policing philosophy either have undertaken or are in the process of the often cumbersome task of strategic planning. And while many critics of strategic planning suggest that strategic planning is difficult and inefficient (as compared with a top-down approach to planning), the benefits of the process outweigh the pain.

Structure

Organizational structure is another dimension of the organizational universe (Jones, 1981). Major areas of structure that need to be examined prior to or during the organizational change process include the reporting and communication systems, rewards, accountability mechanisms, shift assignments, and management of calls for service. An organization's structural elements must fit with the agency's organizational values and goals in order for the organization to be effective (Jones, 1981; WRICOPS, 1998).

Several scholars have noted the importance of changes in structural elements in order for community policing to succeed. For example, Sparrow (1988) maintains that organizational communication is extremely important during the change process, and leaders in the organization not only need to "preach" the values of the department, but also must practice them in their daily actions. Denhardt (1995) maintains that participative management strategies, such as quality circles, are an ideal way not only to enhance communication within an organization, but also to allow employees at all levels of the organization to have some input into the change process (Denhardt, 1995).

Reward systems that promote community policing values and goals also have been considered important structural elements that lead to community policing success (Thurman, Zhao & Giacomazzi, 2001). Wycoff and Oettmeier (1994:3), who were involved in the Houston Police Department's creation of an experimental performance evaluation process designed to support community policing, note that employee performance evaluations should meet the following standards:

• Validity—Does the evaluation accurately reflect job content and expected quality of work?
• Reliability—Does the evaluation result in similar job performances being given similar evaluation ratings even if the actual evaluators are different people? Will similar job performances across time by the same employee result in similar evaluation ratings?
• Equity—Do employees who do the same or similar work receive equal evaluations of their performance?
• Legality—Are the evaluation results used to determine rewards and/or punishments for employees? If so, to what extent does the evaluation reflect the performance of an employee?
• Utility—Is there an underlying purpose for evaluating an employee's performance?

At the Houston Police Department, the experimental performance evaluation instruments assessed officers' performance from a variety of perspectives, including officers' immediate supervisors and citizens who were served by the police.

Climate

The climate of an organization stems from its implementation of structural elements (Jones, 1981; WRICOPS, 1998). The climate is composed of the unwritten rules and assumptions that drive organizational behavior, such as resistance to change, trust, role clarification, conflict, power issues, and informal communications. According to Jones (1981), a poor fit between an organization's values, goals, and structure is likely to produce an unhealthy organizational climate.

One typically mentioned obstacle to community policing is the traditional police culture. And while the traditional police culture is comprised of many elements, of particular importance here are the elements concerning the value that police officers in traditional organizations place on the role of citizens in the policing process. Quite simply, community policing suggests that citizens are equal partners with the police in the effort to improve the quality of their neighborhood life. The idea that police officers work with citizens in an effort to solve neighborhood problems is contrary to the traditional idea that the police are the experts and that citizens should do little more than serve as witnesses to crimes and report these incidents whenever they happen (Thurman, Zhao & Giacomazzi, 2001).

A successful transition to community policing depends on a climate in which the participation of other service providers and citizens as problem-solving partners is valued by the police. But changing culture is challenging. While many departments have successfully changed mission and values statements to reflect community policing ideals, the statements by themselves do little in the way of actually changing cultural beliefs. Important "structural" components can encourage a climate that is more conducive to community policing. For example, communicating an organization's mission and values, leading by example, implementing training initiatives, emphasizing the value of police-community partnerships, and publicizing behaviors consistent with the philosophy of community policing are just some of the ways that police leaders are beginning to deal with the cultural resistance to community policing. Several departments actively attempt to recruit and select police officers who embrace community policing ideals. For example, during a recent recruiting drive, the Portland (Oregon) Police Bureau emphasized its community orientation: "Become a Community Police Officer With the Portland Police Bureau! Our mission is to work with all citizens to preserve life, maintain human rights, protect property and promote individual responsibility and community commitment" (Portland Police Bureau, 1998).

But despite the obstacles to change, the successful transition to community policing depends on the ability of police leaders and employees to foster an organizational climate that supports continual learning, self-critique, and change (Geller, 1997).

Community Environment

Effective organizations learn to connect with their environments in meaningful ways. Citizen groups, the media, politicians, the business community, and other service providers can and should be involved in implementing community policing (WRICOPS, 1998). In fact, the input and participation of all key external stakeholders tends to imply an idea of police-community collaboration that is central to the success of community policing (Dilulio, 1993; Glensor & Peak, 1996).

John Dilulio (1993) shows that the role of citizens in the police process is far greater than simply reporting crimes to the police. Dilulio suggests that it is unrealistic for law enforcement to have a measurable positive impact on the quality of neighborhood life without the active assistance, cooperation, and participation of residents formally outside of government. In this relatively new spirit of community-police collaboration, the older ideas that judges, prosecutors, or the police could and should solve society's problems without the assistance of citizens is unrealistic. Dilulio notes that citizens have a large role in ensuring that justice is done, in promoting safe communities, in restoring victims of crime, and in promoting noncriminal options for offenders.

But if community policing is to succeed, citizens must assume responsibility for the quality of their neighborhood life. The question, however, is how this will happen. Oakes (1995) suggests that citizen responsibility can be encouraged by making positive examples more visible through rewards or media coverage. In addition, Oakes suggests a renewed emphasis on responsibility-building in the institutions that promote moral development, such as churches, schools, and family. And persistence among police organizations to embrace key stakeholders in communities by making them "partners" in the problem-solving process likely will lead to greater participation as well.

Toward Effective Implementation of Change

WRICOPS makes use of the organizational universe concept as the basis for its on-site assessment and as a model for structuring the assessment report. Such onsite organizational and community assessments are viewed as an effective means toward change in the public sector (see Vinzant & Vinzant, 1996).

The Western Regional Institute for Community Oriented Public Safety

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is the federal office responsible for advancing community policing, including the addition of 100,000 community policing officers. COPS promotes community policing through a variety of initiatives, including its Regional Community Policing Institute (RCPI) program. WRICOPS is one such program, which services the northwestern United States, including Idaho, Montana, South Dakota, Washington, and Wyoming. As such, WRICOPS represents a partnership among Washington State University, the Washington Association of Sheriffs and Police Chiefs, and the Criminal Justice Training Commissions/Peace Officer Standards and Training organizations of its member states (WRICOPS, 1998).

The WRICOPS mission is to further the implementation of community policing via a threefold approach: training, applied research, and technical assistance (WRICOPS, 1998). WRICOPS' training initiatives are provided by a network of specifically trained and certified instructors from the region who provide instruction on a variety of topics, including problem solving and strategic planning. Applied research is provided in the form of organizational and community surveys designed to evaluate the effectiveness of community policing efforts to determine police and community perceptions of community policing and measure willingness to support community policing efforts, and to assess the a community's level of social capital. WRICOPS' technical assistance initiative, the primary focus of its outreach and the subject of this chapter, comes in the form of an on-site organization and community assessment related to community policing (WRICOPS, 1998).

Organizational Assessments as a Tool to Promote Change

The WRICOPS on-site assessment process is a comprehensive and innovative means to promote organizational change. It is designed to identify elements of both the internal and external environment that affect change. As such, the assessment process charts the current state of community policing within an agency, assesses understanding and support of community policing by employees, citizens, and local government, and determines attitudes about community policing from external stakeholders (WRICOPS, 1998).

WRICOPS draws from a pool of approximately 60 trained volunteers (leadership cadre members) who make themselves available to conduct assessments periodically. Prior to their first assessment, leadership cadre members attend a three-day workshop where they learn about the WRICOPS mission and are trained in interviewing and observation techniques. Ordinarily, five to eight cadre members comprise an individual assessment team, depending on the size of the department and other relevant issues (WRICOPS, 1998).

During the assessment, the leadership cadre spends approximately five days on-site collecting data, wh...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Section I: The Challenges of Community Policing in Rural and Small-Town America
• Section II: Organizational Change and Community Policing
• Section III: The Community Role in Community Policing
• Section IV: Rural Community Policing and the Future
• Appendix A: Police Department Employee Survey Instrument
• Appendix B: Police Department Employee Focus Group Questionnaire
• Appendix C: Community Survey Instrument
• Appendix D: Community Focus Group Questionnaire
• Author Index
• Subject Index
• About the Authors