Proactive Policing

The profession of policing will always have a reactionary component to providing police services to the community. Although it is understandable that citizens’ frustrations can run high with this type of response, members of the public cannot expect the police to be everywhere at one time in order to prevent every crime from occurring. There will always be some sort of a reactionary response in the policing profession. However, proactive policing efforts have developed over the years and provide a greater police response to addressing crime issues.
Proactive policing is a simple concept. Proactive policing efforts are self-initiated police activities that prevent crime from occurring. Some examples of proactive policing efforts that citizens are familiar with would include officers issuing traffic citations, completing field interviews, and stakeouts. Although this type of policing is proactive, citizens see these actions as more of an enforcement effort than a care taking function for the community. In order to turn the perception of police being a reactionary force into a proactive force several things need to occur.
The ultimate goal of every police organization is to gain and maintain trust within the community. With trust, citizens will become supportive of the police department
In order to change the perception and reality that law enforcement is proactive force, citizen engagement is paramount. Community outreach programs allows the citizens to humanize police officers, they can put a name to the face and develop a long lasting relationships. As long as that relationship is continually cultivated, the trust within the community will grow and the overwhelming support will follow. The crucial goal is for the community and the police to work together in order to provide a safe place to live and