Community Oriented Policing for Estancia, New Mexico
Community policing is widely recognized in law enforcement and criminal justice circles as a potentially effective way of enlisting local residents in cooperative efforts with the police to address a wide range and variety of problems (Conklin, 2010). Community oriented policing is based upon four principles: organizational decentralization and a reorientation of patrol to enhance communication between police and the public; a commitment to broadly focused, problem oriented policing; responsiveness to public concerns; and a commitment to helping neighborhoods solve crime problems on their own via crime prevention and community organizing (MacDonald, 2002).
In the case of the Estancia Valley Police Department in Estanica, New Mexico, community policing is an appropriate strategy for coping with the recent dramatic increase in property crimes, drug sales, violent assaults, and prostitution in the central business district and adjacent residential neighborhoods - problems believed to be associated with a recent influx of criminal gang activity. Estancia has a population of 1,391 and is located in central New Mexico with the Estancia Valley spanning Torrance and Southern Santa Fe Counties (Metro New Mexico Development Alliance, 2010). The Estancia Valley including the town of Estancia has become an attractive residential community as well as a popular stopping point for regional traffic. The town is the county seat and has provided residents with reasonably priced real estate, relatively low taxes, clean air and water, and excellent medical and educational services (Estancia Valle Economic Development Association, 2010). The development of community oriented policing is proposed as the best strategy for dealing with the recent increase in crime.
The Components of Community Oriented Policing
There are three basic components implicit within community oriented p...