REINVENTING OR REPACKAGING PUBLIC-SERVICES - THE CASE OF COMMUNITY-ORIENTED POLICING

What are local law enforcement organizations adapting under the banner of community-oriented policing? Does implementation of community-orie nted policing entail changes to the traditional structure of local law enforcement agencies! To what extent are implementation and structura l changes being supported by changes in operational policies and admin istrative systems! The authors address these issues through a survey o f local lalo enforcement agencies in Florida. They find that community -oriented policing manifests itself in a variety of forms, but they al l seem to center on changing the officer rather than the organization. Even when structural change occurs, the impact on existing policies a nd systems is minimal. The authors question the long range prospects f or this innovation.