Realigning Community Policing In A Homeland Security Era

After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, local police departments in the United States were tasked with joining the fight against terrorism. This new task in policing led to a shift in priorities from community policing to homeland security policing, raising community concerns about police militarization, a reversion to traditional-style policing, and damage to the police-community relationships and trust that was established in prior years.
This book provides details of a study that analyzes 30+ years of data from government sources, confirming the initial shift away from community policing in favor of homeland security policing. The research also confirms that after achieving homeland security objectives, a return to community policing strategies occurred, confirming that police departments prioritize the communities they serve. Current data reinforces that policing has learned to balance both priorities by integrating community policing and homeland security, supporting national and public security while maintaining community relations.
The study recommendation is that police departments utilize strategy integration to simultaneously prioritize community policing alongside new or emerging responsibilities that may develop in the future, preserving and holding strong, police-community relationships at all costs.