COMMUNITY POLICING - WHERE ARE WE NOW

Data from a national survey of police departments are presented to exp lore the progression of American policing from a traditional orientati on to a community policing model. Despite widespread support for the i dea of community policing and its service-centered orientation, the au thor's findings suggest that crime control remains the primary mission of most police agencies. We infer from these data that the demonstrab le transition of police agencies from a professional model to a commun ity policing one typically is moving at an evolutionary pace rather th an a revolutionary one in most places.