76 3 Police and Law Enforcement—Civil Fimplementation of this approach is needed. Department-wide training and imple-
mentation of community policing strategies will provide more useful information
about its effectiveness and reduce the animosity between officers. However-, cost
effectiveness remains a critical issue.
The cooperation between citizens and officers could lead to more arrests and
crime prevention. The more traditional role of officers does not encourage com-
munity participation in decision making and strategy in law enforcement. Forensic
psychologists can assist police departments and communities in adopting a more
social problems-oriented approach to crime prevention. However, whether com-
munity policing is an effective means of crime prevention remains to be seen.
Suggestions for Future ResearchMuch research is needed to determine if community policing works. In addkon
to finding ways by which to evaluate the approach, new ways of determining
officer performance must be created. The traditional means, such as number of
arrests and the number of tickets issued, are not appropriate performance measures
for community-oriented police officers (T. M. Joseph, 1994). The utilization of
proactive techniques for crime prevention and a greater response to community
demands has fostered the need for creative ways to answer increasing calls for police
service (Walters, 1993).
Another important aspect of this approach is community participation. Re-
search into what encourages this participation and individual expectations is needed
(Buerger, 1 994). What would convince a resident like Sandra to participate in com-
munity policing? The concerns of those residents least likely to trust officers need
to be explored in order for this approach to be effective in the communities that
would benefit the most. Specific problems within the target areas identified must
be carefully examined in order to implement the most effective strategies. Rosen-
baum and Lurigio (1994) suggest that the continued use of case study methodology
would provide more accurate and complete data on the effectiveness and long-term
effects of community policing. In addition, these authors maintain, "(t|he process
of working together and the barriers to cooperative relationships are essential for
future research" (p. 304).
POLICE TRAINING: COMMUNICATION SKILLS
AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION
Introduction
The nature of a police officer's job requires routine interaction with members
of the public. Often, these encounters entail the resolution of some existing, or