Improving Police-Community Relations in the USA

To prevent and control crime using the community-oriented policing model, law enforcement agencies must develop positive relationships and partnerships with the communities they serve. Unfortunately, several obstacles impede the development and maintenance of police-community partnerships, particularly excessive force and other forms of misconduct, and negative coverage of law enforcement by the media. To restore public trust in the police, agencies must implement competency-based interviews and assessments during the hiring process; develop a recruitment plan to attract more diverse applicants; provide regular crisis intervention, de-escalation, and implicit bias training to all officers; and evaluate and make any necessary improvements to existing use-of-force and disciplinary policies. Future research should continue to evaluate the impact of community policing on crime rates, the impact of body-worn cameras on misconduct, and the correlation between higher education and misconduct.