Community Policing in Action: Lessons From an Observational Study

Community policing—a relatively recent addition to law enforcement—aims to increase interaction and cooperation between local police and the people and neighborhoods they serve. Community Policing in Action: Lessons From an Observational Study details a National Institute of Justice and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services-sponsored study conducted in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1996, that focused on police-community interactions in jurisdictions that have implemented some form of community policing. This Research in Progress Preview is an initial report of a large study currently in progress. One striking research finding was that as cooperation between police and citizens in solving neighborhood problems increased, the residents felt more secure in their neighborhoods.