Impacts of a Deprofessionalized Service Model: The Case of Community Response to Foot Patrol

Abstract

Do communities recognize and respond to deprofessionalized models of police service? This study tracks newspaper coverage of police and safety issues during an experimental foot patrol program. Content analysis of nonnews items confirms that police are evaluated more positively, depicted as more active but not made more visible overall after the first full year of program operation. The need for more community-level evidence of police impact is considered.H ow can police and communities best deal with community concerns about crime and safety? Strategies necessary for community support may conflict with police professional judgment. I suggest that, irrespective of crime-rate statistics or the sentiments of individual residents, the initiation of programs that are neighborhood-based, focused on safety and prevention, and shaped by community concerns rather than solely police professional dicta will lead to a more positive community perception of police. Such community-wide impact is of pragmatic importance to police, since targeting resources on particular areas of crime could lead to competition and conflict of interest in the community on such questions as whose neighborhood is served or whose problems are addressed.