Community policing and planning

Community policing programs are being embraced by police departments across the country, and this has important implications for planners. Community p olice officers are being asked to engage in broad-based community problem s olving and are adopting many of the goals and methods of community developm ent planning. This article presents a definition of community policing and provides examples of community policing programs in two cities, Asheville a nd Greensboro, North Carolina. it also identifies the benefits of cooperati on between planners and community police officers and presents findings Fro m a research project on the implementation and impacts of community policin g in the cities studied. Specific examples of how planners and community po lice officers have worked together to improve the quality of life in urban neighborhoods are also provided. The article concludes with a discussion of some of the obstacles to cooperation between planners and community police officers and how they can be overcome.