ON THE JOB JUST HANDED DOWN


The Essence of Community Policing


Are Robert Peel’s three principles still valid? By J.T. McBride I Guest Commentator


esanow@hendonpub.com Lt. Ed Sanow


ommunity policing is really nothing new. When Robert Peel established the London Metropol- itan Police nearly 200 years ago, he built the organization upon a foundation of community-based policing. His prime directive, “the people are the police, and the police are the people,” embodies the essence of community policing.


C According to Peel, widely known as the ‘Father’ of orga-


nized law enforcement, everybody in the community shared a degree of responsibility for public safety and order main- tenance. By virtue of the historic “social compact,” some citizens were selected to serve and protect, while those who remained unsworn were obligated to help and support their protectors. Both groups were obligated to build and maintain trust with their counterparts.


Peel knew the support of the people was essential to suc- cess. Peel also defi ned success as an absence of crime, and failure as any lasting social polarization between the people and the police. His grand experiment worked, and his style of policing was imported to this nation. To a great degree, his philosophy was utilized by the founders of most of America’s local police agencies. How many of Peel’s proven principles remain valid today, however? First, the police are the people. Really? In recent times, nu- merous media stories suggest that for many, nothing could be further from the truth. Not only do some people see the local police as being polarized from the local community, but a few even consider them to be alien ‘occupying forces.’ Some now argue these conditions exist because urban po- lice forces don’t ‘mirror’ the demographics of the communi- ties which they serve. Was Peel suggesting the makeup of local police forces perfectly match the ethnic, racial and gen- der cohorts of their jurisdiction, or was he suggesting some- thing broader?


The literature suggests Peel was an idealist who visualized a totally objective police force dedicated to fairly serving and protecting everyone in town. His police possessed character- istics that would carry them beyond their own prejudices in


the best interest of all whom they served. To Peel, everyone mattered and he expected the police—


regardless of who they were—to treat everyone exactly the same. He advocated justice, and that should be the goal of police forces everywhere.


Second, the people are the police. Really? If so, why is it so many people in today’s society are so quick to taunt and prod the police as they go about their duties? Are they try- ing to trigger a response so they can look for more excuses to belittle the police in public? Why are increasing numbers of people refusing to help the police solve serious crimes be- cause they don’t want to be labeled as a ‘rat’ or a ‘snitch’? If Peel’s second principle is still true, why don’t more peo- ple step up and support their local police as they attempt to control the mayhem that haunts many neighborhoods throughout this great land? Unless we can reinvigorate so- ciety with this important attitude, chaos looms dangerously on the horizon.


Third, the measure of successful policing is the absence of crime. Crime prevention has never been an exact science be- cause it is virtually impossible to determine everything that has been prevented by whatever actions we have undertaken. Couple that limitation with the historic unreliability of crime- counting data so Peel’s third principle may lack merit in con- temporary times.


Perhaps a better measure of success would be a lack of ten- sion between the people and the police measured by objective evaluations of complaints against the police. Who, though, would investigate the numerous times when people let the police down? Shouldn’t we be counting those incidents, too?


Chief J.T. McBride, M.P.A., C.L.E.E., is an Ohio law enforcement offi cial with over 40 years of experience and who teaches criminal justice at Lakeland, Ohio Community College. He may be reached at jmcbride@ lakelandcc.edu.


LaO Post your comments on this story by visiting www.lawandordermag.com “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” — Henry IV, William Shakespeare 6 LAW and ORDER I January 2016


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