In general, police effectiveness is measured by the values of recovered stolen property and number of cases solved and cleared. However, the key measures of police efficiency as it relates to community expectations of the police are different.
These measures include identification of problems, alternative solutions, implementation of solutions, fear of crime, extent of community involvement in the implementation of various programs, the complaints regarding police attitude towards citizens, and responsiveness and sensitivity to demands of the citizens. Citizen collaboration or encumbrance can also be regarded as police performance measurement as “external measures in the form of citizen feedback can help departments better understand what citizens see as their needs, what priorities they have, what experiences they have had in police encounters, and how they view particular situations” (as qtd. in Fisher-Stewart, 2007).
In a similar fashion, the expectations of society can be different in a community policing environment as compared to a specialized model police division. This is because community policing is based on the cooperation of people and police department to keep an eye on the concerned locality (Frost, Freilich & Clear, 2010). For this reason, people expect the community police force to bridge the gap and communicate openly to prevent any ongoing or anticipated criminal act/activity. It is the reason people expect community-oriented police officers to assist residents in a friendly way. It is important for community police officers to develop a two-way communication in order to encourage active contribution among ordinary men as it may help to reduce clash and confrontation in any given area (Greene, 2000).
To cut a long story short, every community has its distinctive needs and requirements. Hence, there are different expectations from community police departments in different communities.
References
Frost, N., Freilich, J. D., & Clear, T. R. (2010). Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice Policy: Policy Proposals from the American Society of Criminology Conference. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Fisher-Stewart, G. (2007). Community Policing Explained: A Guide for Local Governments. COPS. Retrieved June 14, 2014, from http://www.cops.usdoj.gov/Publications/cp_explained.pdf
Greene, J. R. (2000). Community Policing in America: Changing the Nature, Structure, and Function of the Police. Criminal Justice, 3, 299-370. Retrieved June 14, 2014, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/criminal_justice2000/vol_3/03g.pdf
