Introduction
In the past few decades, community policing in the most parts of the USA have been affected by the acute shortage in police applicants as well as difficulties for the police departments to retain the existing officers. With the increase in crime in the major cities as well as the increase in external aggression, the reduction in police officers is bound to become a problem that needs to be addressed at state and national level. Over the last three decades, there have been an increase in homicides, violent crimes, and shootings not to mention the several terrorism incidences that have been reported.
For instance, according to recent statistics, gun violence have increased by an average of 60 percent in most cities around the country. An event worth noticing is the Baltimore shootings during the Memorial Day this year, where 32 shooting were reported on singe day and one location (Donald 32). Following this it is imperative to analyze some of the factors that have led to reduction of police officers, paving way for an increase in crime. This paper will also provide some recommendations that state and local police departments could adopt to improve their recruitment process, which could go a long way in improving community policing.
Reduction of Police Officer & Its Effects on Community Policing
It is obvious that with the decline in police officers, community policing will not be any easy, mostly in the areas that are adversely affected by the problem. Community crime prevention relies on the ability of the local authorities or the federal government to identify the weaknesses in community policing. In this case, the focus is the factors that have led to the reduction of police officers in the country and possibly the effect this has had on the ability of law enforcement agencies to combat crime. It is imperative to note that there have been many changes in the modern community that have contributed to the reduction in police applicants and caused a direct or indirect effect on crime levels. For instance, the new police reforms, which are characterized by budget cuts, have affected the ability of police departments across various states to fulfill their human resource needs. Additionally, the inadequacy of funds for the police force have seen many police officers retire from their positions (Karn 26). A continuation of this trend could affect the ability of the police forces to combat crime, especially with the growing vulnerability of the community to different forms of crime.
Another growing trend that has affected both the number of police applicants around the major cities in the country and the state of security in the communities is the growing aggression between police forces and the communities themselves. The growing animosity has taken root especially within the black communities who feel they have been the subject of police brutality. This has been termed as the ‘Fergusson effect', and its effects are evident across different states. The Ferguson Effect is simply the notion that the police forces are biased while administering their duties, where the black community have been the less favorite to protect by the police forces (Mohanty and Rabindra 41). Since the killing of a teenage boy in Fergusson and several other incidences involving white police shooting black people without probable cause, there has been a growing anger and bitterness towards the police by community members. This has affected crime prevention in a number of ways.
Apart from the tension between the community and the police forces across the states, other factors have been cited to pose a threat to the ability of the police force to execute their roles in community policing. According to most police department authorities, the growing need for the current generation to peruse higher education have affected the number of police applicants as opposed to earlier years, where high school graduates fancied police jobs (Karn 13). Currently police jobs are associated with a negative attitude by the immediate community and even worse, low pay, no vacations or other work benefits offered in other professions.
As such, more youth are pursuing higher education after graduation from school. Consequently, there has been an acute shortage of young people applying for the several vacant police posts at local and state level. The deficit of human resource has already been a question of concern for police administrators since the decline in the number of police could reduce the effectiveness of the police to perform various duties in community policing (Donald 42). For example, with a decline in the number of police officers, it would be incredibly difficult to prevent the tremendous rise in crime in such regions as Atlanta. The reduction of the police workforce is a major concern and it is causing numerous loopholes that weaken the security system and the effectiveness of undertaking an effective community policing.
Another factor that has significantly seen the number of people willing to join the police forces is the tremendous growth in technology. At this point, it is vital to note that the decline in human resource in police departments and other law enforcement agencies is a hindrance to the efforts of the police to combat the rise in crimes across different states. Concerning the growth of technology, more people have opted to seek jobs supported by technology. For instance, the internet have offered many working opportunities for people; people can even work from home. Although the police department has also been adopting modern technologies in undertaking various activities, the external adoption by the young generation is higher, which makes them a notch higher in terms of opportunities available to them.
As a result, people consider such jobs safer relative to the police jobs, in particular with the rising violence between the police and the community. With this situation expected to continue, it is most likely there will be a further decline in the number of police officers. With this, the state of community policing would be at threat as fewer police officers mean a decrease in the ability of the police departments to provide security for the people (Miller Hess and Ort 31). Following this, it is crucial that various steps be taken at local and state level to alleviate the situation, to maintain the favorable level and standard of community policing.
Recommendations
Owing to the stated problems that have been identified to cause a reduction in police applicants, therefore crippling the ability of the police force to offer various services to the community, it is only right that solutions be found. One solution that would prove effective in the current situation in most cities in the USA is repairing the relationships between the police forces and the communities. The media has played a big part in sensitizing the issues, mostly favoring the public (Miller Hess and Ort 22). The same media could be used to spread a peace message from the police to the community and the need for good relationship between the latter, which would benefit the larger community in terms of improved security.
The media could also play a significant role in encouraging more members of the community to join the police force, which could be a vital step in improving the deteriorated state of security in most communities. Concerning the issue of budgetary constraints affecting the police forces, it would be imperative that the state and federal governments allocate more funds to support the recruitment activities by the police. This would also enable them provide better working condition including better work benefits (Mohanty and Rabindra 28). In doing this, the government would facilitate for the police departments/law enforcement agencies to eliminate human resource constraints, therefore improving their efficiency in community policing.
As a conclusion, community policing is an important initiative that the police department use to engage the public and develop a good relationship that enhances collaborations. However, in the recent past, it has experienced the most challenging period following the development of hostilities between the public and the police officers. The hostilities arise from the increasing brutality from police towards the public and the public reiterating. For instance, the increasing shooting directed towards the public by the police is a major concern and it has attracted a public uproar. As a result, there has been further retaliatory attacks from the public towards police. Community policing has recorded the lowest success for a long period and there is a need for the development of new strategies to address the issue. Further, there has been reduced number of police officers and new people seeking to join the force as a result of better opportunities and increased risk associated with being a police officer.
Works Cited
Karn, Dr Jacqui. "Policing and Crime Reduction." The evidence and its implications for practice (2013): 1-48.
Donald, Heather Mac . The War on Cops: How the New Attack on Law and Order Makes Everyone Less Safe. New York : Encounter Books , 2016 .
Miller , Linda S, Kären M Hess and Christine M.H. Ort. Community Policing: Partnerships for Problem Solving. New York : Cengage Learning , 2013 .
Mohanty, Satyajit and Mohanty K Rabindra . Community Policing as a Public Policy: Challenges and Recommendations. New York : Cambridge Scholars Publishing , 2014 .
Rees, Tia. Hospice in the Hood: During the Ferguson, Missouri Riot. Chicago : Dog Ear Publishing , 2016.
