What are ways the Police can improve relations with the community?

Question

I'm doing a project for my public policy class. Many people have trust issues with the police. What are ways the the police, can improve trust in the community. If you have any examples of or thoughts about good outreach please let me know.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Quit calling me and asking for donations. And quit pulling people over and ticketing them for things like loud exhaust and headlight covers. I mean seriously don't you have anything better to do. Those things aren't going to hurt anyone.

Answer 2

There is no way. Until more citizens get involved and learn what police officers are going through on the streets, nothing will change. The whole concept of community policing put the responsibility on the police to improve the relations. Doesn't work, back to square one.

Answer 3

Take a different approach. As an officer, I do not believe it is my responsibility to "convince" the public to trust me. People need to look within and figure out why they don't trust us. 99% of people have never had contact with the police, so why the trust issues. Are people uneducated or that naive that they believe everything they hear in the media? Write your paper by interviewing people on why they don't trust the police and what the police have done to them personally to create that lack of trust instead of asking the police what we can do to change. The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers are good people and nothing they could do would change that public perception. Its the public who must change as we can not change if we are not broke.

Answer 4

Be an active, visible, friendly presence in the community. It seems that some forces are only around when it's time to have a negative contact.

If the only time I see a cop is when he's citing someone, there's a problem.

This is not always at a department's discretion. If you only have so much manpower to go around, you're forced into a reactive role instead of being able to be proactive. We get the policing we're willing to pay for.

(Insert usual disclaimer blablabla highest respect yada yada thin blue line keeping me safe)

Answer 5

In our small community, we have a sheriffs dept., city police, tribal idiots that think they're cops. and lo and behold, we have state cops. Now we have a judge everyone knows is an alcoholic, Got drunk and hit a car, Gee, the city cops took him home and never wrote a ticket. Our cops are also seen drinking in bars, but probably off duty, but at a christmas party cops and judge alike would stop at the elks and have a few drinks get in patrol car and leave. There is nothing they can do to change peoples view. Oh, the city police captain started dating a parole officers wife and broke them up. Payton Place all over again.

Answer 6

Treat Blacks and Latinos with the same level of respect that Whites get treated with. You rarely hear about Whites (even low income Whites in the trailer parks) getting tazered, beaten or shot by cops, but it happens all the time to people of color.

Treat us with "Courtesy, Professionalism & Respect" (the slogan on the side of New York Police Department squad cars) and police community relations will improve!!

Answer 7

Promote the Police/Sheriff's Citizen's Academy. I've done one and really enjoyed getting to know more about those who protect me. Joining something like Blue or Brown Santa is good. JayCees is another good organization. Get involved in your church or other communal gathering place. When people get to know their local police officers as people instead of just a badge and a uniform, it makes it easier to trust them.

Answer 8

Fire those Kansas City Missouri police officers who caused a woman to have a miscarriage when she told them that she was bleeding and they refused to take her to the hospital.