Community Policing: The Successful Implementation of Organizational Change

Abstract

The goal of community policing is to improve interaction and collaboration between local law enforcement agencies and the people and neighborhoods they serve. Its primary objectives are to reduce and prevent crime and increase residents' sense of security. Community policing starts at the top of management and flows down to the very lowest level of the police department. Thus, police managers play an important role in the change process. The goal of this study is to analyze the successful implementation of organizational change in police agencies. This article first lays out the definition of community policing, its key components, its advantages, and its differences from traditional policing. Then it discusses the process of change, the sources, and strategies of resistance to change. In the conclusion section, this study makes recommendations for a successful implementation of the organizational change process.