Community Policing: A Contemporary Perspective

This text is about community policing -- a revolutionary movement, a philosophy and an organizational strategy that expands the traditional police mandate. It broadens the focus of fighting crime to include solving community problems, urging police to form a partnership with the people in the community so average citizens can contribute to the police process in exchange for their support and participation. A new chapter on the police and the public has been added to this edition, and all chapters have been updated. Profiles feature community policing programs in various cities, and problem-solving case studies cover topics such as drugs, gangs, homelessness, mental illness and robbery.

Victor E. Kappeler, a former police officer, is a Foundation Professor and Associate Dean of the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University. He is recognized as a leading scholar in such fields as policing, media, and the social construction of crime, and police civil liability, among other related fields. Dr. Kappeler continues to provide in-service training for police officers and is well published in professional areas of policing. Among many other honors, Kappeler received the 2006 Cabinet for Justice and Public Safety Award for Academic Excellence and the 2005 Outstanding Criminal Justice Alumnus Award from Sam Houston State University, where he earned his doctoral degree, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Criminology's Division on Critical Criminology.

Larry K. Gaines is professor and chair of the Criminal Justice Department at California State University-San Bernardino. He served as the Executive Director of the Kentucky Association of Chiefs of Police for 14 years and has consulted with a variety of police agencies in Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and California. Dr. Gaines has served as Secretary Treasurer and President of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. He has received many awards, including the Founders Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the Outstanding Educator Award from the Southern Criminal Justice Association, and the Outstanding Service Award from the Police Section of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. In 2001, he served as a member of the California POST Committee that developed police training curricula for racial profiling.