AN INSIDE LOOK AT COMMUNITY POLICING REFORM - DEFINITIONS, ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES, AND EVALUATION FINDINGS

Community policing is the latest reform in law enforcement and is quit e popular among politicians, citizens, and police managers. It evolved , in part, from a growing dissatisfaction with traditional police prac tices and a recognition of their shortcomings. The concept of communit y policing is rather nebulous, and in the field, it assumes many forms , including foot patrol, ministations, and community organizing. Both internal and external factors have limited the success of its implemen tation, and so far it has never become fully operational on a large sc ale. Overall, existing evaluations suggest that community policing can have a favorable impact on the perceptions of police officers and nei ghborhood residents.