Broken Windows, Damaged Gutters, and Police Supervision

One of the primary obstacles that police reformers face when implementing a community policing philosophy is that it requires that officers, supervisors and communities work together in a 'team' oriented manner to accomplish the tasks at hand. As pointed out in the case study, Sergeant Strzykalski was at first very reluctant to participate in the community policing program in part because his work would be evaluated at a team level instead of independently. He was also asked to forgo the philosophy which he had maintained for years, which suggested that good policing is contingent upon quotas and numbers rather than interaction with community members.

Many officers are used to working in an environment that encourages more independence and provides officers with the ability to work very independently rather than collaboratively. In addition few are required to Thus the initial shift in philosophy would...
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