an provide an essential information base greater than that of police departments alone. For their part, the police may act as catalysts to cause the necessary resources to act on specific, community identified public safety problems. In this way, police work becomes comprehensive, problem solving, and proactive (Fishbein 1).
Some cities have been given greater impetus than others to institute community policing, and Los Angeles is one such case. Events including the Rodney King incident in 1991 and the Los Angeles riots in 1992 focused worldwide attention on the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) and called into question the department's training and leadership. The Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (also known as the Christopher Commission) stated,
Sergeants, lieutenants, and captains are expected to be leaders as well as administrators and should therefore receive formal leadership training. . . (Christopher and Arguelles 134).
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