Future Policing
Future of Policing
University of Phoenix
CJS/210
4/27/2013
The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By doing so, some foreseeable critical issues that may affect policing in the future can be identified, and potential changes can then be proposed and implemented to effectively address these critical issues. Perhaps the most important current trends in policing are those that affect the operational aspects of its crime fighting function. The first and foremost trend amongst this group has been the development of intelligence-led policing, which at its most basic, deals with the “identification of specific criminal activities or specific criminal populations and targeted enforcement against the highest-risk crimes or criminals to achieve overall reduction in the impact of crime in a community” (Wallentine, 2009, para. 2). Within this broadly encompassing trend have come a few important changes affecting police departments across the nation. One is that many police agencies have begun to incorporate professional intelligence analysts into their ranks, a brand new position for most departments and one whose importance will likely continue to grow in the years to come (Wallentine, 2009). Another is that police leadership and command staff has had to incorporate and learn new technologies, and adjust to new methods of collecting and
University of Phoenix
CJS/210
4/27/2013
The field of police work is constantly being forced to develop and improve its protocols, procedures, and practices in an effort to keep pace with the ever-changing society in which it operates and criminal behavior it seeks to eradicate. While the history of policing has been marked by substantial changes throughout time, the work of modern-day police officers and officials demonstrate some of the most substantial adaptations to its surrounding environment that the field has ever seen. In order to understand where the future of policing is heading, it is important to first understand these current trends that are affecting the current landscape of the profession. By doing so, some foreseeable critical issues that may affect policing in the future can be identified, and potential changes can then be proposed and implemented to effectively address these critical issues. Perhaps the most important current trends in policing are those that affect the operational aspects of its crime fighting function. The first and foremost trend amongst this group has been the development of intelligence-led policing, which at its most basic, deals with the “identification of specific criminal activities or specific criminal populations and targeted enforcement against the highest-risk crimes or criminals to achieve overall reduction in the impact of crime in a community” (Wallentine, 2009, para. 2). Within this broadly encompassing trend have come a few important changes affecting police departments across the nation. One is that many police agencies have begun to incorporate professional intelligence analysts into their ranks, a brand new position for most departments and one whose importance will likely continue to grow in the years to come (Wallentine, 2009). Another is that police leadership and command staff has had to incorporate and learn new technologies, and adjust to new methods of collecting and
References: Cetron, M.J., & Davies, O. (2008, February). 55 trends now shaping the future of policing. Proteus USA: Trends Series, 1(1), 1-201. Retrieved from http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/army/proteus-55-policing.pdf Herbert, B. (2007, September 29). A trend grows in policing. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/29/opinion/29herbert.html?_r=0 Police Executive Research Forum. (2013, February). Policing and the economic downturn: Striving for efficiency is the new normal. Critical Issues in Policing Series. Retrieved from http://policeforum.org/library/critical-issues-in-policing- series/Economic_Downturn.pdf Wallentine, K. (2009, December 7). Law enforcement trends to watch in 2010 and beyond. PoliceOne.com. Retrieved from http://www.policeone.com/legal/articles/1974235-Law- enforcement-trends-to-watch-in-2010-and-beyond/